United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded at HSBC

HSBC upgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $170.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $150.00.

Several other research firms have also commented on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a c rating to a b- rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $147.59 on Thursday. United Parcel Service has a fifty-two week low of $133.68 and a fifty-two week high of $192.98. The stock has a market cap of $125.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a fifty day moving average of $149.56 and a 200-day moving average of $150.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.