Brokerages Set United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Price Target at $131.32

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $131.32.

UPS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,027 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,742 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 52.8% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 369,597 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,391,000 after acquiring an additional 127,734 shares during the period. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.8% in the third quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,060 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $554,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its position in United Parcel Service by 12.2% during the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 17,236 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 1,880 shares during the period. Finally, Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,021,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $96.50 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $111.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.47. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $82.43 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. United Parcel Service has a 52 week low of $90.55 and a 52 week high of $153.42.

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 return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.80%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.