United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Baird R W upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $135.34 on Monday. United Parcel Service has a 12-month low of $123.12 and a 12-month high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $131.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.81. The company has a market capitalization of $115.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.41 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth $32,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 291.7% during the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 168.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.