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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $111.8696.

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $98.84 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $100.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market cap of $84.02 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.06. United Parcel Service has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners grew its position 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 last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.