Stifel Nicolaus Cuts United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target to $153.00

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $156.00 to $153.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 15.32% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective 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. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of UPS traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $132.68. The company had a trading volume of 492,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,315,732. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $128.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.82. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $121.56 and a 52-week high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

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 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 owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.