United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 1.3% Higher - What's Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 1.3% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $117.19 and last traded at $116.61. 1,020,868 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 4,480,016 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.10.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Baird R W downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.91.

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United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.63 and a 200 day moving average of $126.79.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.96%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 97.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,213,699,000 after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after buying an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th 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 buying an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $1,979,695,000 after buying an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.