Wolfe Research Upgrades United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) to Outperform

Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $147.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UPS. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.4 %

UPS stock opened at $126.70 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $129.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.37. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $122.01 and a one year high of $161.48. The stock has a market cap of $108.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 271.7% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.