United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.1% Higher

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) rose 0.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $146.54 and last traded at $145.11. Approximately 654,504 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 4,287,065 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.91.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. HSBC decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $121.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $149.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.62 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This is an increase 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%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. 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.