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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $110.85.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $110.71 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $94.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.91, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $104.91 and a 200-day moving average of $105.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at about $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,609,000 after acquiring an additional 9,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 154.5% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,580,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Parcel Service

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.