Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $4.50.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Ultrapar Participacoes from $4.00 to $4.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Scotiabank raised Ultrapar Participacoes from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ultrapar Participacoes in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Ultrapar Participacoes Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of UGP stock opened at $3.88 on Friday. Ultrapar Participacoes has a 1-year low of $2.53 and a 1-year high of $4.16. The firm has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a PE ratio of 8.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $3.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Ultrapar Participacoes Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a $0.0555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 360.0%. Ultrapar Participacoes’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participacoes

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGP. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 55.6% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,463 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 3,380 shares in the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Wealthquest Corp acquired a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes during the 1st quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes during the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ultrapar Participacoes 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.