Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) Stock Has Average Target Price of $6.54

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $6.54.

UGP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Ultrapar Participacoes from $6.50 to $5.80 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. UBS Group increased their target price on Ultrapar Participacoes from $7.20 to $7.90 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Bank of America upgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $6.80 to $7.40 in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a “sector outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 17th.

Ultrapar Participacoes Price Performance

NYSE UGP opened at $5.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Ultrapar Participacoes has a 12-month low of $3.60 and a 12-month high of $8.28. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 9.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $7.28 and its 200-day moving average is $5.91.

Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.01. Ultrapar Participacoes had a return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 2.28%. The firm had revenue of $8 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.18 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ultrapar Participacoes will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ultrapar Participacoes Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th were given a $0.1932 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 26th. This represents a dividend yield of 599.0%. Ultrapar Participacoes’s payout ratio is presently 50.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Decio De Sampaio Amaral sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.93, for a total transaction of $55,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 151,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,049,423.76. This represents a 5.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Pedro Guedes Rabelo sold 30,000 shares of Ultrapar Participacoes stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total transaction of $227,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,898 shares in the company, valued at $438,866.84. This trade represents a 34.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,785 shares of company stock worth $587,312. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participacoes

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its position in Ultrapar Participacoes by 419.7% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 257,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 208,319 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 235.7% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 927,216 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,109,000 after purchasing an additional 650,988 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes during the second quarter worth about $6,704,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 10.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,740,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $20,611,000 after purchasing an additional 357,922 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,733,000. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ultrapar Participacoes Company Profile

Ultrapar Participações SA is a Brazilian holding company whose businesses focus on fuel distribution, liquefied petroleum gas and transportation infrastructure. Through its subsidiaries, the company serves commercial, industrial, retail and residential customers, primarily in Brazil.

Ipiranga is Ultrapar’s fuel-distribution business, supplying gasoline, ethanol, diesel and other fuels through a network of service stations and commercial channels. Ultragaz distributes liquefied petroleum gas for household, commercial and industrial use, including bottled and bulk products.

Ultrapar also operates Ultracargo, a provider of liquid bulk storage and transportation infrastructure for fuels, chemicals and other products.