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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have issued a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $113.0345.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Bank of America raised shares of United Parcel Service from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock traded down $5.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $103.17. The company had a trading volume of 3,512,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,151,296. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. United Parcel Service has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The company has a 50 day moving average of $104.02 and a 200-day moving average of $101.43. The firm has a market cap of $87.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.04). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting United Parcel Service

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 non-GAAP results beat some estimates — adjusted EPS of $1.07 and consolidated revenue of $21.2 billion topped several street forecasts, suggesting the company’s transformation work is beginning to stabilize margins. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reiterated forward revenue expectations (approximately $89.7B) and reported GAAP / non-GAAP differences (GAAP EPS $1.02; non-GAAP $1.07) that include about $42M of after-tax transformation charges — details investors will parse as they assess sustainable earnings power. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit and revenue are down year-over-year (GAAP profit and EPS fell versus last year; revenue was down ~1.4% YoY), and some outlets noted the quarter still reflected pressure from restructuring — a key reason for the negative share reaction. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst posture and market reaction: at least one firm trimmed its price target ahead of the print, and shares dropped in premarket trading after results — signaling continued skepticism about the near-term earnings rebound timeline. Read More. Read More.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total transaction of $2,655,236.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. TI Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. TI Trust Inc. now owns 2,794 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 7,680 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 727 shares in the last quarter. Cherokee Insurance Co increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Cherokee Insurance Co now owns 14,800 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,456,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 18,602 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,830,000 after purchasing an additional 1,655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC now owns 41,995 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,131,000 after purchasing an additional 4,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.