United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $1.64

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 5th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of 1.64 per share by the transportation company on Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.86%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63.

United Parcel Service has increased its dividend by an average of 16.9% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 15 consecutive years. United Parcel Service has a payout ratio of 65.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect United Parcel Service to earn $9.34 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $6.52 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 69.8%.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $111.95. The stock had a trading volume of 7,117,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,172,173. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $127.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.69. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Susquehanna decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

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 stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.