Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday. The stock traded as high as $8.28 and last traded at $7.8760, with a volume of 616157 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $7.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised Ultrapar Participacoes from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $6.80 to $7.40 in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ultrapar Participacoes from $7.20 to $7.90 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Scotiabank cut Ultrapar Participacoes from a “sector outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from $6.50 to $5.80 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ultrapar Participacoes has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.54.

Ultrapar Participacoes Stock Down 0.2%

The firm has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.71, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $6.92 and a 200 day moving average of $6.04. 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 (NYSE:UGP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $8 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.18 billion. Ultrapar Participacoes had a return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 2.28%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Ultrapar Participacoes Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th were issued a $0.1932 dividend. This represents a yield of 599.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 26th. Ultrapar Participacoes’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ultrapar Participacoes

In other news, CFO Andre Saleme Hachem sold 39,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.67, for a total transaction of $300,664.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 25,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,927.25. This represents a 60.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Pedro Guedes Rabelo sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.58, for a total transaction of $227,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 57,898 shares in the company, valued at $438,866.84. This represents a 34.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,785 shares of company stock valued at $587,312. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGP. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 45.0% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,383 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,982 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes in the 1st quarter worth $55,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes in the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes in the 1st quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Ultrapar Participacoes by 165.5% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 12,390 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 7,724 shares in the last quarter. 3.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ultrapar Participacoes

Ultrapar Participações SA is a Brazilian holding company with operations focused on energy, fuel distribution and logistics. Through its businesses, the company supplies fuels, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and related services to consumers, commercial customers and industrial clients.

Its principal businesses include Ipiranga, one of Brazil’s major fuel distribution companies, and Ultragaz, which distributes LPG for residential, commercial and industrial use. Ultrapar also owns Ultracargo, a provider of storage and handling services for liquid bulk products, including fuels, chemicals and other industrial materials.

Ultrapar’s operations are concentrated primarily in Brazil, with activities supported by distribution networks, terminals and storage infrastructure across key regions of the country.