Ultrapar Participações (NYSE:UGP) Sets New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $3.13 and last traded at $3.15, with a volume of 1550167 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $3.20.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UGP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $4.10 to $3.20 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ultrapar Participações from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $3.20.

Ultrapar Participações Stock Down 3.3 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $2.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.60, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.10.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.0774 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Ultrapar Participações's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participações

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UGP. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Ultrapar Participações during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $374,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Ultrapar Participações by 194.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 159,142 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $617,000 after acquiring an additional 105,133 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Ultrapar Participações by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,609 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 5,687 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Ultrapar Participações by 72.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 57,100 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 23,976 shares during the period. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,811,400 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,764,000 after purchasing an additional 115,600 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.