United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.70.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $96.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $90.55 and a one year high of $153.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $110.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after acquiring an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,373,964,000 after buying an additional 268,278 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.