United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $1.63

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, May 1st, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of 1.63 per share by the transportation company on Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th.

United Parcel Service has increased its dividend payment by an average of 17.1% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 15 years. United Parcel Service has a payout ratio of 67.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect United Parcel Service to earn $9.60 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $6.52 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 67.9%.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of UPS stock opened at $147.10 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $125.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $192.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $149.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company’s revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 8.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UPS. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.23.

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.