United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 1.4% – Time to Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price shot up 1.4% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $126.78 and last traded at $126.70. 4,535,448 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 14% from the average session volume of 3,971,383 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.98.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $108.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $129.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 254.8% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 72,867 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,969,000 after buying an additional 52,329 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 295,160 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,393,000 after purchasing an additional 5,544 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 122,183 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,721,000 after acquiring an additional 12,200 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 81,364 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,135,000 after acquiring an additional 5,788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carson Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 34.2% during the 2nd quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 13,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,803,000 after purchasing an additional 3,354 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.