United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $110.0938.

UPS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, September 19th.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $100.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $84.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.11. United Parcel Service has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $136.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $92.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.68.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.94 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 40.07% and a net margin of 6.15%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.39%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Andra AP fonden grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 95.9% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 332,983 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,611,000 after acquiring an additional 163,000 shares during the period. BLVD Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth approximately $1,479,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 94,361 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,525,000 after purchasing an additional 12,035 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.8% in the second quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,130,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $114,118,000 after buying an additional 162,364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cowa LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 329.2% in the second quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 8,785 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $887,000 after buying an additional 6,738 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.