United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $134.00 to $135.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on UPS. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.30.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $124.90 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $122.01 and a 1 year high of $161.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $130.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.40.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.22%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 71.8% during the 2nd quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after acquiring an additional 6,073 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.