United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 2.4% – What’s Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price rose 2.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $133.00 and last traded at $132.81. Approximately 1,523,062 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 4,285,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.8 %

The stock has a market cap of $114.01 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $128.95 and a 200-day moving average of $130.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.88%. United Parcel Service’s dividend 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 76.4% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 28,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,858,000 after acquiring an additional 12,208 shares during the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 61.4% in the 2nd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 139,404 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $19,077,000 after purchasing an additional 53,053 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 241,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,631,000. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.8% in the second quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 7,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $967,000 after buying an additional 449 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.