United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 1.2% – Still a Buy?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded up 1.2% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $102.89 and last traded at $102.16. 5,805,427 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 6,804,650 shares. The stock had previously closed at $100.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several research reports. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $96.00 price objective (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $86.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $93.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.94 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. The business’s revenue was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.39%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $851,842,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11,517.3% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,503,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $252,695,000 after purchasing an additional 2,481,864 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 78.7% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,086,862 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $412,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,799,882 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 45.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,730,804 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $578,467,000 after buying an additional 1,789,467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 443.6% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,549,962 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $156,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,264,842 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.