United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.7% – Should You Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price traded up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $130.30 and last traded at $129.61. 1,117,665 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 4,175,126 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.76.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, 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 stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $105.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.59.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Busey Bank raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,641 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,049 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,576,000 after purchasing an additional 1,458 shares in the last quarter. Joule Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Joule Financial LLC now owns 2,724 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 3,830 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GYL Financial Synergies LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 10.8% in the second quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC now owns 17,728 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,426,000 after buying an additional 1,722 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.