United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Given New $158.00 Price Target at Citigroup

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price objective decreased by Citigroup from $163.00 to $158.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on UPS. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $130.17 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $132.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.01. The company has a market capitalization of $111.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.99.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 91,262 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $12,443,000 after acquiring an additional 9,898 shares during the period. Garner Asset Management Corp increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 12,995 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,772,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the third quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 112,632 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $15,356,000 after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 8.9% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 5,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $808,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.1% in the third quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 7,286 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $993,000 after purchasing an additional 217 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.