United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 1.3% – Should You Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price traded up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $114.76 and last traded at $114.60. 1,677,235 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 6,825,309 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Loop Capital cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $125.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.06. The company has a market capitalization of $97.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share 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. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. 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 5.74%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by 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.