Barclays Reiterates “Underweight” Rating for United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS)

Barclays reiterated their underweight rating on shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. Barclays currently has a $120.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on UPS. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.05.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 5.3 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $138.35 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.51 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $130.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $123.12 and a one year high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.54 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,408.3% in the third quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC now owns 32,776 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,368,000 after purchasing an additional 30,603 shares in the last quarter. Old Port Advisors raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 119.4% in the 3rd quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 22,526 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,071,000 after buying an additional 12,259 shares in the last quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $543,000. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 8,181 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 5.8% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.