United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Up 1.5% - Here's Why

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) traded up 1.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $97.24 and last traded at $96.77. 1,795,741 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 5,117,240 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group cut their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Two equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.23. The stock has a market cap of $82.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.73%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at $36,638,000. Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.8% in the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 22,700 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,497,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 31.0% in the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 363,985 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $40,035,000 after acquiring an additional 86,126 shares during the period. Twin Lakes Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the first quarter. Twin Lakes Capital Management LLC now owns 10,560 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,162,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, WBI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 96.9% in the first quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 48,011 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,281,000 after acquiring an additional 23,622 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

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.