United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Up 0.8% – Still a Buy?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shot up 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $131.20 and last traded at $131.20. 542,597 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 4,156,797 shares. The stock had previously closed at $130.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $132.27 and a 200 day moving average of $134.88. 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 $113.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,448,960,000 after acquiring an additional 380,229 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $888,254,000 after buying an additional 20,426 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.