United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 1.5% Following Analyst Upgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price rose 1.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Wolfe Research upgraded the stock from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating. Wolfe Research now has a $147.00 price target on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as high as $127.08 and last traded at $126.05. Approximately 1,037,334 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 67% from the average daily volume of 3,111,300 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.21.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on UPS. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 271.7% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $108.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50-day moving average is $129.90 and its 200 day moving average is $131.37.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS 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 business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.15%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio 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.