Investors Purchase High Volume of Call Options on United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS)

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 55,616 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 86% compared to the typical volume of 29,953 call options.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd 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. PSI Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on UPS. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $114.19. 15,842,034 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,791,747. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $97.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service has a fifty-two week low of $109.62 and a fifty-two week high of $158.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $128.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.61.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

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.