Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Downgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group to “Neutral”

The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $5.40 price objective on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Ultrapar Participacoes from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $5.40.

Ultrapar Participacoes Stock Performance

NYSE:UGP opened at $4.94 on Thursday. 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 market capitalization of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $4.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.85. Ultrapar Participacoes has a twelve month low of $2.64 and a twelve month high of $5.03.

Ultrapar Participacoes Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a dividend of $0.1876 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. Ultrapar Participacoes’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ultrapar Participacoes

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes during the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes in the second quarter worth approximately $46,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 27.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,425 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes in the second quarter valued at approximately $54,000. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ultrapar Participacoes Company Profile

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.