United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 0.1% – Here’s Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price shot up 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $132.44 and last traded at $130.84. 612,299 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,242,571 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UPS. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $112.28 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.54 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.97%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. This represents a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cullen Investment Group LTD. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 9,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $519,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.