Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to Hold Rating

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) from an underperform rating to a hold rating in a report published on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $5.60 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $3.10.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $5.40 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5.50.

Ultrapar Participacoes Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Ultrapar Participacoes stock opened at $4.90 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.21. The stock has a market cap of $5.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Ultrapar Participacoes has a 12 month low of $2.70 and a 12 month high of $5.42.

Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $7.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.64 billion. Ultrapar Participacoes had a net margin of 1.72% and a return on equity of 14.11%. Research analysts predict that Ultrapar Participacoes will post 0.3 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ultrapar Participacoes

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UGP. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in Ultrapar Participacoes by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 21,133 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares in the last quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Ultrapar Participacoes by 32.4% in the third quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 14,056 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 3,438 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 5.5% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 75,215 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 3,952 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 4,688 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 33,774 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 5,082 shares in the last quarter. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.