United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 3.2% – Time to Buy?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares rose 3.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $102.08 and last traded at $102.46. Approximately 1,440,521 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 5,144,827 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC lowered United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.9%

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.49. The firm has a market cap of $86.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The company had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.42%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,075,393,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,132,000 after purchasing an additional 4,988,044 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $476,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,961,255 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $393,680,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $201,358,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

About United Parcel Service

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.