United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 0.8% – Here’s Why

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 0.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $131.20 and last traded at $131.20. 542,597 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 4,156,797 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.14.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $114.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.88%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth about $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% in the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% in the second quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.