United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded up 0.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $115.78 and last traded at $115.25. 1,793,165 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 6,628,404 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.58.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UPS. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Baird R W downgraded United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $124.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.67. The company has a market cap of $98.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.68%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.45%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s 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 approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in United Parcel Service by 39.7% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 108,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,793,000 after buying an additional 30,815 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 245,539 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,412,000 after acquiring an additional 8,320 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,761 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,652 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $527,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 40.2% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 103,515 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,113,000 after purchasing an additional 29,657 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.