Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP) Sets New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Ultrapar hit a new 52-week high of $5.44 (last at $5.4730) on volume ~261,754; its 50- and 200-day moving averages are $4.95 and $4.29 and market cap is about $6.02B.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but mildly positive: consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $5.50 — Jefferies raised its rating/PT to hold/$5.60 while Goldman Sachs cut to neutral with a $5.40 target.
• Latest quarter showed an EPS miss ($0.06 vs. $0.07 est.) despite a revenue beat ($7.03B vs. $6.64B); the company reported a low net margin (1.72%) and a 14.11% ROE.

Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:UGP - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $5.44 and last traded at $5.4730, with a volume of 261754 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UGP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $3.10 to $5.60 in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Ultrapar Participacoes from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $5.40 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ultrapar Participacoes from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $5.50.

Ultrapar Participacoes Price Performance

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $4.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.29. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

Ultrapar Participacoes (NYSE:UGP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.01). Ultrapar Participacoes had a net margin of 1.72% and a return on equity of 14.11%. The firm had revenue of $7.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.64 billion. Research analysts expect that Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participacoes

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UGP. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ultrapar Participacoes during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Ultrapar Participacoes in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ultrapar Participacoes during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 3.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ultrapar Participacoes

Ultrapar Participações SA is a Brazilian diversified holding company operating in the downstream energy and chemical sectors. Its Ipiranga unit runs one of Brazil's largest networks of fuel stations, supplying gasoline, ethanol, diesel and convenience-store products to retail and wholesale customers. Through Ultragaz, the company is a leading distributor of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), offering cylinder and bulk gas solutions for residential, commercial and industrial use across urban and rural regions.

In the specialty chemicals arena, Ultrapar controls Oxiteno, which produces surfactants and specialty chemical formulations for industries such as personal care, oil and gas, agrochemicals and coatings.

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