United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 1.9% - Should You Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) shot up 1.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $96.16 and last traded at $96.00. 1,006,445 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 4,809,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.20.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Baird R W downgraded United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Galvan Research cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.70.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $82.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $110.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 prior year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.81%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.