United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 1.3% - Should You Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) shares shot up 1.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $97.40 and last traded at $97.55. 649,851 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,811,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on UPS. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Galvan Research cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.74.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company's 50-day moving average price is $109.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.01. The company has a market cap of $83.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,213,699,000 after acquiring an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.