United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target Raised to $170.00 at UBS Group

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target hoisted by UBS Group from $159.00 to $170.00 in a report issued on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Stephens lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.43.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $137.43 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service has a 12-month low of $123.12 and a 12-month high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.44 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.74%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 106.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 112.8% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 8,242 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 4,368 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,190 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. TNF LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at $214,000. SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 881.7% during the third quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 31,769 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,331,000 after acquiring an additional 28,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 13.0% during the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,142 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,990,000 after acquiring an additional 1,743 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.