United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (UPS)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B (NYSE:UPS) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its growth in earnings per share, revenue growth, solid stock price performance and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC has improved earnings per share by 7.5% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC increased its bottom line by earning $3.84 versus $3.47 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($4.60 versus $3.84).
• Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 5.8%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 1.2%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• The company, on the basis of net income growth from the same quarter one year ago, has underperformed that of the Air Freight & Logistics industry, but is on par with that of the S&P 500. The net income increased by 5.0% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $1,063.00 million to $1,116.00 million.
• The stock has risen over the past year as investors have generally rewarded the company for its earnings growth and other positive factors like the ones we have cited in this report. The stock's price rise over the last year has driven it to a level which is somewhat expensive compared to the rest of its industry. We feel, however, that other strengths this company displays justify these higher price levels.
• The gross profit margin for UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC is currently extremely low, coming in at 13.40%. It has decreased from the same quarter the previous year. Regardless of the weak results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of 8.40% is above that of the industry average.

United Parcel Service, Inc., a package delivery company, provides transportation, logistics, and financial services in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: U.S. Domestic Package, International Package, and Supply Chain & Freight. The U.S. The company has a P/E ratio of 19.1, above the average transportation industry P/E ratio of 18.7 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B has a market cap of $55.04 billion and is part of the services sector and transportation industry. Shares are up 4.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

You can view the full United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

For more information on United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B click any of the following:

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Stock Price

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Analyst Ratings

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Key Stats & Profile

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Earnings

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Ratio Comparison

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Growth Rates

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Balance Sheet

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Cash Flow

• United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) Class B Income Statement