Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $3.66 and last traded at $3.67, with a volume of 475597 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $3.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on UGP shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. HSBC upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Ultrapar Participações from $5.90 to $5.20 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned 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 Down 2.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $4.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.63, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.60.

Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) last released its quarterly 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. Ultrapar Participações had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 20.24%. The company had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Ultrapar Participações S.A. will post 0.34 EPS for the current year.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.0446 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a yield of 2.7%. Ultrapar Participações’s payout ratio is 16.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participações

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ultrapar Participações by 175.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,471,048 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $19,850,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211,696 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 60.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 133,791 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $5,591,000 after acquiring an additional 1,099,433 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in Ultrapar Participações by 112.6% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 25,044 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 13,262 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ultrapar Participações during the first quarter worth about $328,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.58% of the company’s stock.

About Ultrapar Participações

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.