United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Research Coverage Started at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a $119.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on UPS. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $121.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $103.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.40%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors 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.