Dividend Power Score
A single, comprehensive score designed to measure the true strength of a company’s dividend.
This score combines three essential pillars of dividend quality:
Consistency – Measures how reliable the dividend has been over time, focusing on payment history, stability, and the absence of cuts or suspensions.
Payability – Assesses the company’s financial ability to sustain its dividend, taking into account cash flow, earnings coverage, balance sheet strength, and overall financial health.
Growth – Evaluates the long-term growth of both the dividend and the company’s share price, highlighting businesses that consistently increase payouts while creating shareholder value.
Higher scores identify companies that have historically delivered dependable income alongside sustained dividend growth and long-term capital appreciation.
Company Overview
Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (ULH) is a publicly traded, asset-light logistics and transportation company that provides customized supply chain solutions. The company operates within the transportation and logistics industry, offering services that support freight movement, materials handling, and integrated logistics management. ULH’s core value proposition centers on tailored, long-term solutions embedded directly into customer operations rather than standardized transactional freight services.
The company’s primary revenue drivers include Contract Logistics, Intermodal, Trucking, and Brokerage services, with a strong emphasis on dedicated and value-added logistics. ULH primarily serves automotive, industrial, retail, and consumer goods customers, many of whom require complex, high-frequency logistics support. Founded in 1932, the company began as a regional trucking operator and evolved through acquisitions and organic expansion into a diversified logistics provider with a significant North American footprint and long-standing customer relationships.
Business Operations
ULH conducts operations through several reportable business segments: Contract Logistics, Intermodal, Trucking, and Brokerage. Contract Logistics is the largest and most strategic segment, generating revenue through long-term agreements for in-plant logistics, materials handling, sequencing, warehousing, and dedicated transportation services. These contracts typically involve multi-year commitments and embedded operations within customer facilities, providing revenue stability.
The Intermodal segment focuses on container-based freight movements, primarily supporting automotive and industrial supply chains, while Trucking provides company-managed and owner-operator capacity for time-sensitive freight. The Brokerage segment offers third-party freight matching and logistics coordination. ULH operates primarily in the United States, with supplemental operations in Canada and Mexico, and controls a mix of transportation equipment, logistics facilities, and proprietary operational systems. The company conducts business through numerous wholly owned subsidiaries operating under the Universal brand.
Strategic Position & Investments
ULH’s strategy emphasizes deep integration with customer operations, disciplined capital allocation, and selective growth in contract-based logistics. The company prioritizes long-term contracts that embed ULH personnel, assets, and processes into customer supply chains, creating switching costs and operational stickiness. Growth initiatives focus on expanding Contract Logistics relationships, particularly in automotive manufacturing, electric vehicle supply chains, and adjacent industrial sectors.
The company has historically pursued targeted acquisitions to expand service capabilities and geographic reach, while also investing in fleet modernization, facility automation, and workforce development. ULH maintains a conservative investment posture, favoring organic expansion and bolt-on acquisitions over large-scale transformative deals. Its strategic positioning benefits from long-standing relationships with major automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, which continue to represent a significant portion of revenue.
Geographic Footprint
ULH is headquartered in Warren, Michigan, and maintains a broad operational footprint across North America. The company operates logistics facilities, terminals, and customer-embedded sites throughout the United States, with concentrated activity in the Midwest, Southeast, and Southern regions tied to automotive and industrial production corridors.
Internationally, ULH maintains operational presence in Canada and Mexico, primarily in support of cross-border automotive and industrial supply chains. While the company does not operate on a global asset scale comparable to multinational logistics providers, its North American network is strategically aligned with major manufacturing hubs and trade corridors, giving it regional depth and cross-border operational influence.
Leadership & Governance
ULH was founded in 1932 and remains influenced by long-term ownership interests associated with the Moroun family. The company is governed by a board of directors that oversees strategy, risk management, and capital allocation, with a leadership team focused on operational execution and customer integration.
Key executives include:
- Tim Phillips – Chief Executive Officer
- Matthew T. Moroun – Chairman of the Board
- Michael Horan – Chief Financial Officer
The leadership philosophy emphasizes operational discipline, decentralized decision-making within business units, and long-term customer partnerships. Strategic vision is centered on sustainable growth through embedded logistics solutions rather than volume-driven freight expansion.