United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target Increased to $156.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $151.00 to $156.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.43.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.7 %

United Parcel Service stock traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $137.43. 4,916,651 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,221,229. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $130.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.74%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 291.7% during the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 869.6% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 168.5% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

About United Parcel Service

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.