United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 1.4% – Here’s What Happened

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of 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. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. 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. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $129.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.23. The company has a market capitalization of $105.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced 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 company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. 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 dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.28%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $979,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.