Barclays PLC Raises Stock Holdings in Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP)

Barclays PLC raised its position in Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) by 435.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,133 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 36,700 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Ultrapar Participações were worth $119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UGP. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participações during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Ultrapar Participações by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 19,705 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 3,688 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,609 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 5,687 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Ultrapar Participações by 49.6% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 27,813 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 9,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Ultrapar Participações by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 31,534 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 6,882 shares during the period. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UGP. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Ultrapar Participações from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $4.10 to $3.20 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. HSBC upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $3.20.

Ultrapar Participações Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of UGP stock opened at $3.10 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $3.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $2.98. Ultrapar Participações S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $2.53 and a fifty-two week high of $4.96. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.13.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.0774 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Ultrapar Participações’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.11%.

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.