United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.7% Higher - Here's Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 0.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $130.30 and last traded at $129.61. Approximately 1,117,665 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 4,175,126 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

The company's fifty day moving average is $132.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $109.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.07%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $351,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,914 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. 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.