United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 1.5% After Analyst Upgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price shot up 1.5% during trading on Tuesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $134.00 to $135.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as high as $127.08 and last traded at $126.05. 1,037,334 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 3,111,300 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.21.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on UPS. Susquehanna raised their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.30.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Birch Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC now owns 47,641 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,008,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 5,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $710,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. now owns 12,432 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 15,867 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,919,945 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $367,300,000 after purchasing an additional 685,259 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.48. The stock has a market cap of $106.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

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.