United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation, thirteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.73.

Several analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $637,000. LM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth approximately $830,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 4,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $619,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 14,495 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,828,000 after acquiring an additional 1,924 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of UPS opened at $116.83 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $122.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.19. The stock has a market cap of $99.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.61%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.