United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirty research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $109.3125.

Several research firms have recently commented on UPS. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Galvan Research lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Vertical Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $89.12 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market cap of $75.53 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $85.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.06. United Parcel Service has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $138.67.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi acquired 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 4,041 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $338,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 91,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,647,000 after acquiring an additional 879 shares during the period. Keating Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 52.1% in the 3rd quarter. Keating Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 34,235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 11,729 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $522,000. Finally, Obermeyer Wealth Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $12,981,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.