Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $5.63 and last traded at $5.4950, with a volume of 6315421 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $5.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UGP has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $5.40 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ultrapar Participacoes from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $3.10 to $5.60 in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $5.50.

Ultrapar Participacoes Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $5.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.36.

Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The oil and gas company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $6.19 billion during the quarter. Ultrapar Participacoes had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 1.72%. On average, research analysts expect that Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. will post 0.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UGP. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the second quarter worth $45,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 3.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ultrapar Participacoes

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.