United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.3% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price was up 0.3% on Tuesday after StockNews.com upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The company traded as high as $135.70 and last traded at $135.68. Approximately 572,992 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 4,203,062 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.34.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.71.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Natixis bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth about $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after purchasing an additional 5,069 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,853,000 after purchasing an additional 6,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nvwm LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $399,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.4 %

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $114.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.41 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.