United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.01), Zacks reports. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of UPS stock opened at $95.90 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.14. United Parcel Service has a twelve month low of $90.55 and a twelve month high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.84%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in United Parcel Service stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 63.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Galvan Research dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.41.

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.