United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.68.

UPS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $134.26 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $123.12 and a one year high of $163.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $128.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.00 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.54 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. United Services Automobile Association raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 235.3% during the fourth quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 237,333 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,316,000 after buying an additional 166,557 shares during the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $121,000. Financial Partners Group LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% in the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after purchasing an additional 5,069 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.3% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,853,000 after purchasing an additional 6,502 shares during the period. Finally, Nvwm LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the first quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 96 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.