United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 0.2% - Here's Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 0.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $96.09 and last traded at $95.50. Approximately 1,796,453 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 4,904,126 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.30.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on UPS. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Hsbc Global Res downgraded United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, HSBC cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $120.87.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $106.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. 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 yield of 6.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 95.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $397,329,000 after buying an additional 1,378,136 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,933,674,000 after buying an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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