Citizens Jmp Initiates Coverage on United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS)

Key Points

• Citizens JMP initiated coverage on United Parcel Service with a "market perform" rating, adding to a mixed analyst outlook on the stock.
• Recent analyst actions have been varied, including upgrades from Stephens and Citigroup, while other firms maintained neutral or in-line views. The overall consensus rating remains Hold with an average price target of $111.10.
• UPS reported quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share, beating estimates, on $21.20 billion in revenue, though sales were still down 1.4% from a year earlier.

Analysts at Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm set a "market perform" rating on the transportation company's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. 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 report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings raised United Parcel Service from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday. Stephens upgraded United Parcel Service to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Evercore dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $113.69 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $96.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $105.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.81. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,324 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $562,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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