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

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.68.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of UPS stock opened at $128.60 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $110.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $123.12 and a 1 year high of $163.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.18.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.54 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Security National Bank acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 291.7% during the second quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is 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.