United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded UPS from “hold” to “buy”, adding to a series of recent analyst actions that were mostly positive. Other firms including Stephens and Citigroup also raised their ratings, though the overall consensus remains Hold.
• UPS shares opened at $117.77, near the top of their 52-week range of $82.00 to $122.41. The stock also trades above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting recent strength.
• The company’s latest earnings topped expectations, with EPS of $1.07 versus estimates of $1.02 and revenue of $21.20 billion slightly above forecasts. Analysts are now projecting 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on UPS. Stephens raised United Parcel Service to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Evercore lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Two investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock opened at $117.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $100.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.10. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.49 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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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