United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.4% - Should You Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 0.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $133.40 and last traded at $133.12. Approximately 621,404 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 4,157,167 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.64.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Baird R W raised United Parcel Service to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $114.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $132.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $134.86.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is 98.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $351,681,000 after buying an additional 1,901,914 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spirepoint Private Client LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $160,787,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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