United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $151.05.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $131.33 on Friday. United Parcel Service has a fifty-two week low of $123.12 and a fifty-two week high of $163.82. The company has a market capitalization of $112.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $130.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.96%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 106.36%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The trade was a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 284.8% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. Spirepoint Private Client LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $160,787,000. Interval Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth $90,099,000. Finally, Maj Invest Holding A S purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth $63,604,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.