United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 0.2%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price shot up 0.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $129.81 and last traded at $129.00. 741,819 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,261,155 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reduced 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. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price 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. Finally, Stephens cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $129.87 and its 200-day moving average is $139.01. The firm has a market cap of $110.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.04%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Security National Bank bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 175 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.