United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 1.9% Higher – Still a Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price shot up 1.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $96.16 and last traded at $96.00. 1,006,445 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 4,809,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.20.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on UPS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.70.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $82.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.74.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.81%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,213,699,000 after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after buying an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares during the period. 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.