United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded at HSBC

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) was upgraded by HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $170.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $150.00. HSBC’s target price indicates a potential upside of 15.23% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Redburn Atlantic raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.1 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $147.53 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $149.56 and its 200-day moving average is $150.96. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $133.68 and a 1 year high of $192.98. The company has a market cap of $125.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 8.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $999,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the first quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 69 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, 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.