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 on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $3.68 and last traded at $3.68, with a volume of 322986 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $3.78.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Ultrapar Participações Stock Down 2.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.69, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $4.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.47.

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

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Ultrapar Participações

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 175.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,471,048 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,850,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211,696 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Ultrapar Participações in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,887,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 332.6% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,429,946 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,591,000 after buying an additional 1,099,433 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 57.9% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,450,300 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $9,581,000 after acquiring an additional 898,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 60.0% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 356,835 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,041,000 after acquiring an additional 133,791 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.58% of the company’s stock.

Ultrapar Participações Company Profile

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.