United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 1.2% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 1.2% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $136.24 and last traded at $135.40. 438,358 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 4,175,586 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UPS. Stephens dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.7 %

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $129.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.76. The firm has a market cap of $116.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.54 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The trade was a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,556,000 after acquiring an additional 406,248 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $888,254,000 after purchasing an additional 20,426 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $567,157,000 after purchasing an additional 393,434 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,113,870 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $611,445,000 after purchasing an additional 101,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in United Parcel Service by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,011,299 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $447,569,000 after purchasing an additional 263,313 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.