United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Receives $113.67 Consensus PT from Analysts

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $113.6667.

A number of equities analysts have commented on UPS shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $117.36 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $103.72 and a 200 day moving average of $94.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The company has a market capitalization of $99.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.11. United Parcel Service has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $123.70.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $24.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.91 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 38.30% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Westbourne Investments Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.9% during the second quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,557 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Peoples Financial Services CORP. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argyle Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 27,505 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,728,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.