United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.4% Higher – Here’s Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price traded up 0.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $126.03 and last traded at $125.76. 605,366 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,190,355 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.2 %

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.86. 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 market capitalization of $107.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.19%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 168.5% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other 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.