Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $5.16 and last traded at $5.1550, with a volume of 257157 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $5.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UGP shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $5.40 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $5.40.

Ultrapar Participacoes Stock Up 1.1%

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $4.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.88. The firm has a market cap of $5.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.97, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Ultrapar Participacoes Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given 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 presently 59.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participacoes

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UGP. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Ultrapar Participacoes by 42.4% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,695,322 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,841,000 after acquiring an additional 803,065 shares in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 39.6% in the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 616,345 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,022,000 after acquiring an additional 174,818 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 42.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 32,797 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 9,815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Ultrapar Participacoes by 1,248.8% in the second quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 497,253 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,631,000 after purchasing an additional 460,388 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.58% of the company’s stock.

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.