Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $3.68 and last traded at $3.68, with a volume of 322986 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $3.78.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UGP has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Ultrapar Participações from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup raised shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Ultrapar Participações from $5.90 to $5.20 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. HSBC raised shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.20.

Ultrapar Participações Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $4.10 and its 200-day moving average is $4.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.69, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.60.

Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter. Ultrapar Participações had a return on equity of 20.24% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ultrapar Participações S.A. will post 0.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Ultrapar Participações

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Aprio Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,337 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 5,281 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 36.1% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 17,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 4,757 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações during the first quarter valued at about $328,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações during the first quarter worth about $80,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 13.2% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 89,534 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $512,000 after buying an additional 10,445 shares during the period. 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.