StockNews.com Upgrades Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on UGP. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Ultrapar Participações from $5.90 to $5.20 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. HSBC upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a reduce rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ultrapar Participações presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $5.20.

Ultrapar Participações Trading Up 1.2 %

UGP opened at $3.93 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $4.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.54. Ultrapar Participações has a 1-year low of $3.39 and a 1-year high of $6.34. The company has a market cap of $4.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter. Analysts predict that Ultrapar Participações will post 0.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $0.0446 per share. This represents a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. Ultrapar Participações’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.67%.

Institutional Trading of Ultrapar Participações

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participações during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. D Orazio & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participações during the 1st quarter worth approximately $66,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participações in the 1st quarter worth approximately $80,000. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participações in the second quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 567.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 15,833 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 13,461 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.58% of the company’s stock.

Ultrapar Participações Company Profile

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.