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

Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,000,000 shares, a decrease of 36.3% from the January 31st total of 7,850,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,900,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Ultrapar Participações Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE UGP traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $2.85. 650,781 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,272,620. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.52. Ultrapar Participações has a 1 year low of $2.53 and a 1 year high of $5.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $2.77 and a 200 day moving average of $3.34.

Ultrapar Participações Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.0774 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Ultrapar Participações’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UGP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank raised Ultrapar Participações to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 27th. HSBC raised Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ultrapar Participações from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ultrapar Participações from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3.20.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ultrapar Participações

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participações in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participações in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Freedom Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participações in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Wolverine Trading LLC purchased a new stake in Ultrapar Participações in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Ultrapar Participações by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 19,705 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 3,688 shares during the last quarter. 3.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.