United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 1.1% – Should You Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares traded up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $126.96 and last traded at $126.93. 1,155,072 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 4,139,190 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $111.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.96.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 71.8% during the 2nd quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 89.0% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 10,939 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,491,000 after buying an additional 5,150 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2,351.8% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 146,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $20,018,000 after buying an additional 140,823 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.