United Parcel Service Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:UPS)

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 32,449 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 9% compared to the average daily volume of 29,669 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $153.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $147.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $169.45.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.9 %

UPS traded up $2.67 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $146.46. 3,594,461 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,352,808. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $151.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $152.41. The company has a market cap of $124.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $197.80.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.62 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 8.29 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.