United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 1.3% Following Insider Buying Activity

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares rose 1.3% during trading on Friday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $129.68 and last traded at $128.73. Approximately 1,812,662 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 4,194,273 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.08.

Specifically, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Stephens dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $110.14 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $138.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.91.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.