United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.2%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price traded up 0.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $143.31 and last traded at $142.47. 546,052 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 4,269,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. TheStreet upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.0 %

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.34. The firm has a market cap of $121.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.58%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 34.4% during the first quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 72,826 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,824,000 after buying an additional 18,660 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.7% during the first quarter. Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 10.9% in the first quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.5% in the first quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 43,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,452,000 after purchasing an additional 4,486 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.