United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 2.3%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price rose 2.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $149.74 and last traded at $148.75. Approximately 2,519,898 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 4,297,876 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. TheStreet upgraded United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Argus lowered United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.7 %

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $149.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.14). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.41%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,456,055,000 after purchasing an additional 628,944 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after purchasing an additional 980,317 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.