United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 0.9% – Still a Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was up 0.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $127.76 and last traded at $126.98. Approximately 867,094 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 4,094,994 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.84.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $129.01 and a 200 day moving average of $130.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $979,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during 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.