United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $113.6667.

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 110.1% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth $26,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Salzhauer Michael acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 4.4%

UPS opened at $116.76 on Thursday. United Parcel Service has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $123.70. The business has a 50-day moving average of $102.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.11.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The business had revenue of $24.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.75 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.