Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $5.30 and last traded at $5.3240, with a volume of 654676 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $5.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UGP. Weiss Ratings cut Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $5.40 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $5.40.

Ultrapar Participacoes Stock Up 2.4%

The company has a market cap of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $4.33 and a 200 day moving average of $4.00.

Ultrapar Participacoes Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.1876 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. Ultrapar Participacoes’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.57%.

Institutional Trading of Ultrapar Participacoes

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,639,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Ultrapar Participacoes by 117.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,084,186 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $16,745,000 after acquiring an additional 2,205,282 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Ultrapar Participacoes by 42,357.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,147,914 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $8,098,000 after purchasing an additional 2,142,855 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 306.4% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,796,662 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,466,000 after purchasing an additional 2,108,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,214,612 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $15,889,000 after purchasing an additional 2,087,852 shares in the last quarter. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ultrapar Participacoes Company Profile

Ultrapar Participações SA is a Brazilian diversified holding company operating in the downstream energy and chemical sectors. Its Ipiranga unit runs one of Brazil’s largest networks of fuel stations, supplying gasoline, ethanol, diesel and convenience-store products to retail and wholesale customers. Through Ultragaz, the company is a leading distributor of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), offering cylinder and bulk gas solutions for residential, commercial and industrial use across urban and rural regions.

In the specialty chemicals arena, Ultrapar controls Oxiteno, which produces surfactants and specialty chemical formulations for industries such as personal care, oil and gas, agrochemicals and coatings.