Zacks: Analysts Expect United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Will Post Quarterly Sales of $22.68 Billion

Brokerages expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) will announce $22.68 billion in sales for the current quarter, Zacks reports. Six analysts have issued estimates for United Parcel Service’s earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $22.22 billion and the highest is $23.23 billion. United Parcel Service reported sales of $20.57 billion during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 10.3%. The company is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings report on Thursday, February 4th.

On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service will report full year sales of $82.47 billion for the current year, with estimates ranging from $81.95 billion to $82.96 billion. For the next year, analysts anticipate that the firm will report sales of $85.87 billion, with estimates ranging from $82.96 billion to $88.73 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of research analysts that cover United Parcel Service.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.42. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 156.85% and a net margin of 5.66%. The business had revenue of $21.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS.

A number of research firms have commented on UPS. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Argus increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. BidaskClub lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Investment Research downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $177.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $152.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $159.13.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cordasco Financial Network increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 82.4% in the third quarter. Cordasco Financial Network now owns 155 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 49.3% during the third quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 227 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 228.2% during the third quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 233 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 98.3% during the third quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 238 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chiron Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth about $50,000. 55.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shares of UPS stock opened at $168.40 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $168.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.30. United Parcel Service has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $178.01. The company has a market capitalization of $145.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.98.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 12th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 53.65%.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service, Inc provides letter and package delivery, specialized transportation, logistics, and financial services. It operates through three segments: U.S. Domestic Package, International Package, and Supply Chain & Freight. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.

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