Why Ultrapar Participações S.A. (UGP) Is Up the Most So Far in 2025

We recently published a list of Why These 15 Energy Stocks Are up the Most So Far in 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) stands against other energy stocks that are up the most so far in 2025.

The energy sector has been volatile, and macro trends have led to fears of recession. The S&P 500 energy sector gained almost 9% from January till late March, but it has been dragged down by the broader market correction.

Brent futures have hit lows and sent many energy stocks into a tailspin. Yet, there are still some energy stocks that have defied the odds and have delivered solid gains. Midstream companies have been exceptionally resilient, and renewables have also been a bright spot in the energy sector.

Even during bear markets there are pockets of the market that perform exceptionally well. For instance, tech stocks have been in a bear market, but I recently identified 15 Tech Stocks that are Up the Most in 2025 in another article.

For this article, I screened the best-performing energy stocks year-to-date.

I will also mention the number of hedge fund investors in these stocks. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

A bustling oil terminal with trucks and tankers lined up to receive fuel.

Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 11

Ultrapar Participações S.A. (NYSE:UGP) is a Brazilian conglomerate operating in energy and logistics, distributing liquefied petroleum gas, fuel, and chemicals, and providing bulk storage and digital payments services.

The most significant news affecting the stock in 2025 was the filing of its 2024 Form 20-F annual report with the SEC on April 22, 2025.

Citi’s recent price target adjustment for Ultrapar (NYSE:UGP), while lowering expectations due to anticipated weaker results from its Ipiranga segment, still maintained a ‘Buy’ rating, reflecting confidence in the company’s operating cash flow and attractive valuation.

The consensus price target of $3.2 implies 4.4% upside.

UGP stock is up 19.98% year-to-date.

Overall, UGP ranks 10th on our list of energy stocks that are up the most so far in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of UGP, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than UGP but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.