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

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $4.99 and last traded at $4.9950, with a volume of 7505 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $4.84.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UGP has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $5.40 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $5.40.

Ultrapar Participacoes Trading Up 0.8%

The company has a market cap of $5.53 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $4.10 and its 200 day moving average is $3.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

Ultrapar Participacoes Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a dividend of $0.1876 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. Ultrapar Participacoes’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.57%.

Institutional Trading of Ultrapar Participacoes

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 117.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,084,186 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $16,745,000 after buying an additional 2,205,282 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,639,000. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Ultrapar Participacoes by 131.9% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,890,033 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,643,562 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 306.4% during the third 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 period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 42.4% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,695,322 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,841,000 after purchasing an additional 803,065 shares during the period. 3.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ultrapar Participacoes

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.