United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.7% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) rose 0.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $134.00 to $142.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as high as $133.96 and last traded at $133.92. Approximately 413,371 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 4,208,791 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.00.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Susquehanna dropped 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 research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. This trade represents a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cullen Investment Group LTD. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the second quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.2% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 9,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,354,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,538 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $129.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.26.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The company had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

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.