Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on UGP. Hsbc Global Res raised Ultrapar Participações from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. HSBC raised Ultrapar Participações from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Ultrapar Participações from $5.90 to $5.20 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.20.

Ultrapar Participações Stock Performance

NYSE UGP opened at $3.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $3.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.55. Ultrapar Participações has a fifty-two week low of $3.51 and a fifty-two week high of $6.34.

Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.08. Ultrapar Participações had a return on equity of 20.24% and a net margin of 2.21%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ultrapar Participações will post 0.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $0.0446 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Ultrapar Participações’s payout ratio is currently 15.38%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. D Orazio & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações in the 1st quarter valued at about $66,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações in the 1st quarter valued at about $80,000. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações in the 2nd quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Ultrapar Participações by 567.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 15,833 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 13,461 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.58% of the company’s stock.

About Ultrapar Participações

Ultrapar Participações SA, through its subsidiaries, operates in the energy and infrastructure business in Brazil. The company distributes liquefied petroleum gas to residential, commercial, and industrial consumers, in addition to renewable electricity and compressed natural gas. It also operates in the distribution and marketing of gasoline, ethanol, diesel, fuel oil, kerosene, natural gas for vehicles, and lubricants; and holds AmPm convenience stores and provides JetOil lubricant services.