United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $151.30.

Several research firms have weighed in on UPS. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake 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 buying an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% during the second quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after acquiring an additional 6,073 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $124.90 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $130.04 and its 200 day moving average is $131.40. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $122.01 and a one year high of $161.48. The firm has a market cap of $106.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.22%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

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.