United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 0.8% After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) rose 0.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday 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 $126.47 and last traded at $126.02. Approximately 1,138,673 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 3,264,239 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.98.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd 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 lifted 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $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 during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 271.7% during the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4 %

The stock has a market cap of $108.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $129.75 and a 200-day moving average of $131.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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