United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.4% – Time to Buy?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded up 0.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $116.76 and last traded at $116.05. 1,431,440 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 6,629,669 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.6 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $124.53 and a 200 day moving average of $128.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.64%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.