United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target Raised to $160.00 at Susquehanna

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target boosted by Susquehanna from $150.00 to $160.00 in a research note published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on UPS. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Evercore ISI restated an in-line rating and issued a $154.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Barclays cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $147.59 on Wednesday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $149.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service has a fifty-two week low of $133.68 and a fifty-two week high of $192.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.42%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,456,055,000 after acquiring an additional 628,944 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after acquiring an additional 980,317 shares during the period. 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.