United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Raised to Strong-Buy at Stephens

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) was upgraded by stock analysts at Stephens to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on UPS. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.85.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $110.00 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $105.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $902,446,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 72.9% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,370,639,000 after acquiring an additional 5,826,824 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 175.7% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,200,135 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $515,801,000 after acquiring an additional 3,314,166 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 507.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,244,234 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $321,796,000 after acquiring an additional 2,710,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,728,123 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $957,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,836,651 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 (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.