United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded by HSBC to “Buy”

HSBC upgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $170.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $150.00.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James decreased 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. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Parcel Service from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and increased their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $166.96.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $147.45 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 stock has a market capitalization of $125.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.01. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $192.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 8.21 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. 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 4.42%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $1,879,000. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the first quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,966 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.9% during the first quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 13,890 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,064,000 after purchasing an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. LifePro Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $218,000. Finally, TI Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 17.9% during the first quarter. TI Trust Inc. now owns 2,515 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by 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.