United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 1% Higher

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $129.51 and last traded at $128.48. 806,544 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 4,225,568 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.24.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $130.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.88. The company has a market cap of $109.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.62, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.54 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.08%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after acquiring an additional 980,317 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $1,128,322,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares in the last quarter. 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.