Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $3.50, but opened at $3.64. Ultrapar Participações shares last traded at $3.65, with a volume of 73,842 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. HSBC raised Ultrapar Participações from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Ultrapar Participações from $5.90 to $5.20 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.20.

Ultrapar Participações Trading Up 0.8 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $3.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of 7.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.55 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 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter. Ultrapar Participações had a return on equity of 20.24% and a net margin of 2.21%. Equities analysts expect that Ultrapar Participações S.A. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $0.0446 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.7%. Ultrapar Participações’s payout ratio is presently 15.38%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participações

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 175.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,471,048 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,850,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211,696 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 60.0% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 356,835 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,041,000 after buying an additional 133,791 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Ultrapar Participações by 332.6% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,429,946 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,591,000 after buying an additional 1,099,433 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ultrapar Participações by 112.6% in the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 25,044 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 13,262 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ultrapar Participações during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $328,000. 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.