United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 2.4% – What’s Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price traded up 2.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $133.00 and last traded at $132.81. 1,523,062 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 4,285,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer increased 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 note on Monday, October 28th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on 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, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $128.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.00. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued 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 4.88%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Tradewinds LLC. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $979,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 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.