Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) Short Interest Update

Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 816,100 shares, a decline of 18.1% from the September 30th total of 996,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UGP. HSBC upgraded shares of Ultrapar Participações from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Ultrapar Participações from $5.90 to $5.20 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Hsbc Global Res raised Ultrapar Participações from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. D Orazio & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 30.3% during the second quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 15,046 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 3,498 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Ultrapar Participações by 36.1% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 17,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 4,757 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 67.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 16,017 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 6,476 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 7.1% during the first quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 115,775 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $662,000 after buying an additional 7,638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ultrapar Participações by 33.7% during the third quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 38,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 9,794 shares during the period. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ultrapar Participações Stock Performance

UGP stock traded down $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $3.62. 1,224,432 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,328,647. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.60. Ultrapar Participações has a 52 week low of $3.51 and a 52 week high of $6.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $3.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.0446 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a yield of 2.7%. Ultrapar Participações’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.38%.

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.