United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $134.23 and last traded at $133.60. 712,811 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,262,910 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $113.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 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. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.79.

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 net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Cullen Investment Group LTD. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the second quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.2% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 9,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,354,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $519,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.