Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) Shares Up 4% – What’s Next?

Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) shot up 4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $3.22 and last traded at $3.23. 647,519 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 1,647,040 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.10.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Ultrapar Participações from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $4.10 to $3.20 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, HSBC raised Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3.20.

Ultrapar Participações Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $2.87 and a 200-day moving average of $3.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.90, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.42.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.0774 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. Ultrapar Participações’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ultrapar Participações

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,513,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $9,241,000 after acquiring an additional 1,497,300 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Ultrapar Participações by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,821,125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,420,000 after purchasing an additional 444,724 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its position in Ultrapar Participações by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,811,400 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,764,000 after purchasing an additional 115,600 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Ultrapar Participações by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,776,107 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,671,000 after purchasing an additional 108,213 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Ultrapar Participações by 58.2% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,654,373 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,351,000 after buying an additional 608,951 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.