UBS Group Cuts United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target to $127.00

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target cut by UBS Group from $141.00 to $127.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on UPS. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Barclays lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.18.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $97.62 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $115.82 and a 200-day moving average of $125.60. The stock has a market cap of $83.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. United Parcel Service has a fifty-two week low of $96.57 and a fifty-two week high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.72%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.