Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $5.16 and last traded at $5.1550, with a volume of 257157 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Ultrapar Participacoes Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.74 billion, a PE ratio of 10.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $4.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.88.

Ultrapar Participacoes Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders 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 payout ratio is 59.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participacoes

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGP. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 70,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 6,947 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Ultrapar Participacoes by 27.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,425 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 3,554 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc raised its position in Ultrapar Participacoes by 23.0% in the second quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 32,111 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 6,002 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in Ultrapar Participacoes by 115.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 77,467 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 41,528 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ultrapar Participacoes by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 59,097 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 6,702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.58% of the company’s stock.

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.