United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.3% – Still a Buy?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) were up 0.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $136.14 and last traded at $135.79. Approximately 444,372 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 4,173,171 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.41.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on UPS. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on 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. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market cap of $116.30 billion, a PE ratio of 19.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.57.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.80%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Natixis acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lifted 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 valued at $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 5,069 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,853,000 after buying an additional 6,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nvwm LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the first quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.