Brokerages Set United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Price Target at $151.10

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $151.10.

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.1 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $123.79 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service has a 12-month low of $122.01 and a 12-month high of $161.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $130.45 and a 200 day moving average of $131.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 168.5% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the third 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 period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.