United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fifteen have given a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $110.4063.

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $96.00 price target (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of United Parcel Service from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 3rd.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $85.65 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $86.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $145.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.60 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 110.1% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 525.0% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 68.9% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 282 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.