United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 0.3% – Still a Buy?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 0.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $136.99 and last traded at $136.64. 658,749 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 4,235,685 shares. The stock had previously closed at $136.26.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 14.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $98.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $129.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.72.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.67%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’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 transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds 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. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $147,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. 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.