United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $151.24.

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $132.98 on Friday. United Parcel Service has a 1-year low of $121.56 and a 1-year high of $161.35. The company has a market capitalization of $113.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $128.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.49 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.