United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 0.6% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) were up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $126.13 and last traded at $126.10. Approximately 3,400,636 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 4,201,786 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped 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, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.12 and a 200-day moving average of $131.79. The firm has a market cap of $107.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.17%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3,770.3% in the 3rd quarter. Syntax Research Inc. now owns 3,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 3,808 shares during the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.9% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 87,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,871,000 after acquiring an additional 9,250 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 27.0% in the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 24,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,340,000 after acquiring an additional 5,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 83,104 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,330,000 after purchasing an additional 11,305 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.