Brokerages Set United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Target Price at $120.87

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twenty-six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $120.87.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital reduced 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. UBS Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 30.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,919,945 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $367,300,000 after buying an additional 685,259 shares during the period. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 15,867 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,867 shares during the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. now owns 12,432 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the period. Finally, Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 5,627 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $710,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.7 %

UPS traded down $1.62 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $93.94. 5,135,862 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,974,620. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $153.42. The firm has a market cap of $80.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $106.12 and a 200 day moving average of $119.76.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. United Parcel Service's revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.98%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

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.