Short Interest in Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP) Expands By 850.2%

Key Points

• Short interest in Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. increased by 850.2% in July, reaching a total of 6,680,000 shares.
• Institutional investors have notably increased their holdings, with CWM LLC boosting its position by 55.6% in the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with ratings ranging from "hold" to "strong-buy," and a current average target price of $3.20.

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,680,000 shares, agrowthof850.2% from the June 30th total of 703,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,060,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days. Currently,0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently,0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,060,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC lifted its position in Ultrapar Participacoes by 55.6% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,463 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,380 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 27.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,425 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 3,554 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc boosted its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes by 28.7% in the first quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 26,109 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 5,817 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ultrapar Participacoes by 12.8% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 59,097 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $194,000 after acquiring an additional 6,702 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Ultrapar Participacoes by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 31,534 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 6,882 shares during the period. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ultrapar Participacoes Stock Performance

Shares of UGP opened at $3.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.76. Ultrapar Participacoes has a 1 year low of $2.53 and a 1 year high of $4.51. The company's fifty day moving average is $3.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.99.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UGP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ultrapar Participacoes from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Scotiabank upgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $3.20.

Ultrapar Participacoes 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.

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