United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have assigned a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $165.23.

Several research firms have issued reports on UPS. TheStreet upgraded United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, HSBC upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $150.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock opened at $147.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $192.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $149.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.01. The company has a market capitalization of $125.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the first quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.