United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded by BMO Capital Markets to “Outperform” Rating

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $150.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $155.00.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $130.22 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $111.13 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service has a 12-month low of $123.12 and a 12-month high of $163.82. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $133.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.96.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,035,313,000 after acquiring an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,080,170,000 after purchasing an additional 373,202 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,448,960,000 after buying an additional 380,229 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.