United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 1.4% Higher Following Dividend Announcement

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was up 1.4% on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $113.53 and last traded at $113.50. Approximately 1,677,393 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 6,931,728 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.90.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.78%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.5 %

The stock has a market cap of $96.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $126.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.