United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading 2.2% Higher – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 2.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $130.39 and last traded at $130.28. 1,259,724 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 4,168,162 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $129.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.01. The stock has a market cap of $110.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.03%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, 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 is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,914 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.