United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

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

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on UPS. Citigroup upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group cut their target price 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. Evercore reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $117.77 on Friday. United Parcel Service has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $106.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.10. The firm has a market cap of $100.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.15%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at about $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth about $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,609,000 after purchasing an additional 9,124 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 154.5% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,580,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.