United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.3% After Analyst Upgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) rose 0.3% during mid-day trading 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. 572,992 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,203,062 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.34.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Susquehanna boosted their price target 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, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $162.00 target price for the company. Two equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 13,276 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,973,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 85,711 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,738,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2,167.6% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 98,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,677,000 after buying an additional 94,398 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.9% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,538 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 16,577 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,464,000 after buying an additional 2,349 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.8 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.73. 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 company has a market cap of $115.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders 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 yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.