Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target raised by Citigroup from $127.00 to $132.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 16.75% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Evercore reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Stephens upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE UPS traded up $3.12 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $113.06. 1,021,192 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,017,007. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $122.41. The company has a market cap of $96.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $105.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.