United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 0.3% After Analyst Upgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) rose 0.3% on Tuesday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $138.00 to $141.00. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as high as $131.66 and last traded at $131.66. Approximately 882,671 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 4,171,911 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.33.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The trade was a 3,100.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $519,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,538 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 969 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Gleason Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,496 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $889,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $112.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 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. The business has a fifty day moving average of $130.44 and a 200-day moving average of $136.19.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were issued 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 4.96%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.36%.

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.