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

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $110.0938.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (down previously from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, September 19th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 110.1% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Salzhauer Michael purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 76.5% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $100.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $84.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $92.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $136.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. The firm had revenue of $21.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 101.39%.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.