United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.7% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price shot up 0.7% on Thursday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $134.00 to $142.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as high as $133.96 and last traded at $133.92. 413,371 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 4,208,791 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.00.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on UPS. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup began coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.24.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. This trade represents a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 869.6% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 291.7% in the second quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $129.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.26. The company has a market cap of $113.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.54 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

About United Parcel Service

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.