United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.7% Higher

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares shot up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $144.12 and last traded at $143.77. 630,947 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 4,259,163 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on UPS. Raymond James dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, HSBC lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $121.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.46, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.62 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.56%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.