United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.2% Higher

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $143.31 and last traded at $142.47. Approximately 546,052 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 4,269,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.25.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Argus lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. HSBC lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.0 %

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $121.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.62 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,854,180,000 after buying an additional 8,475,698 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,456,055,000 after acquiring an additional 628,944 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after purchasing an additional 980,317 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.