United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.3% – Time to Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price traded up 0.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $124.85 and last traded at $124.13. 1,413,179 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 2,571,940 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of 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 research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.4 %

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.40. The stock has a market cap of $108.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 271.7% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. 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.