United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 0.6% Higher – Here’s Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares shot up 0.6% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $119.22 and last traded at $117.52. 1,496,164 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 4,387,371 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.00.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.9 %

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG 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 (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.40%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.7% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 62,953 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,583,000 after acquiring an additional 3,416 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 22.4% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 335,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $45,716,000 after purchasing an additional 61,360 shares in the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 28.8% during the third quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 2,296 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $421,000. Finally, Graypoint LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 82.0% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 1,375 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.