United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded at HSBC

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) was upgraded by stock analysts at HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, FinViz reports. The firm currently has a $170.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock. HSBC’s target price indicates a potential upside of 15.95% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.96.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $146.61 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $192.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after acquiring an additional 178,394 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the third 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 in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 worth $1,510,517,000 after acquiring an additional 980,317 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.