United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 0.8% – Time to Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 0.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $130.40 and last traded at $129.50. 1,374,033 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 4,148,286 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.8 %

The business’s fifty day moving average is $133.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $110.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.05%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related 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 value 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Logan Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.9% in the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 87,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,871,000 after buying an additional 9,250 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 24,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,340,000 after purchasing an additional 5,209 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.7% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 83,104 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,330,000 after purchasing an additional 11,305 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 26.8% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 34,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,670,000 after buying an additional 7,240 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.