United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on 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. Susquehanna upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 3.8%

United Parcel Service stock opened at $113.19 on Friday. United Parcel Service has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $106.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.24.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 106.15%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners increased its position in United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Parcel Service

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.