United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 1.3% Higher – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) rose 1.3% on Monday . The company traded as high as $120.98 and last traded at $120.53. Approximately 1,214,260 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 6,371,276 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.03.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $101.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.50%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.