United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.4% Higher – Time to Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was up 0.4% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $126.31 and last traded at $126.26. Approximately 1,579,166 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 4,220,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group increased 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. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $131.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $132.07.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3,770.3% in the third quarter. Syntax Research Inc. now owns 3,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 3,808 shares during the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.9% in the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 87,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,871,000 after acquiring an additional 9,250 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.0% during the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 24,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,340,000 after acquiring an additional 5,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 83,104 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,330,000 after purchasing an additional 11,305 shares during the last quarter. 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.