United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.4% – What’s Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price traded up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $126.03 and last traded at $125.76. 605,366 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,190,355 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.32.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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 note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.2 %

The company’s 50-day moving average is $131.23 and its 200-day moving average is $131.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $107.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.19%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,167,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.