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UPS Delivers ... Oh, Never Mind - Motley Fool
I recently argued that UPS will turn out to be the best performing stock in 2010. More than 1,700 of you cast votes agreeing with me, making (in the first round of voting, at least) UPS the most popular pick out of a field of 13 lucky contenders. (AAPL) eventually took the prize, narrowly beating out Silver Wheaton (SLW).

UPS bulls will tell you that the reasons to own this company are its record in innovation; its leveraging of supply-chain expertise through its logistics business; and its flanking attack on FedEx and Staples (SPLS) with the new online printing venture. And, of course, there's its use of "mobile shipping" as described in its ballyhooed references to the iPod, iPhone, and Research In Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) BlackBerry in this week's release.

As for me, I'm just impressed with UPS's handling of the basics: Keeping costs down. Leveraging revenue growth over fixed costs. Getting the margins moving back up. Block and tackle, UPS. Block and tackle.

UPS Increases Dividend for First Time in Two Years - Bloomberg
United Parcel Service Inc., the world’s largest package-delivery company, raised the quarterly dividend on its shares 4.4 percent for the first boost in two years as the economy recovers.

The revised dividend is 47 cents a share, up from 45 cents and payable March 3 to stockholders as of Feb. 16, the Atlanta- based company said today in a statement. The last increase was 3 cents, declared in January 2008.

UPS cited “our outlook for a gradual economic recovery and the expectation of strong performance in 2010.”

UPS Sees No Bounce Following Strong Q4 Report - Blogging Stocks
The strong fourth-quarter results that United Parcel Service (UPS) reported earlier this week may have led to an analyst's upgrade, but its done little for the stock. Shares inched upward both Tuesday and Wednesday on relatively low volume, but UPS is still trading in the same $57.00 to $59.00 range in which it's spent most of the past three months.

UPS also suggested in its Tuesday conference call that share buybacks or a dividend increase may be in its future.

United Parcel Service Upgraded at Deutsche Bank (UPS) - Dividend
Package delivery giant United Parcel Service, Inc. saw its rating and earnings estimates boosted on Wednesday by analysts at Deutsche Bank.

The analyst raised its rating on UPS to “Buy” from “Hold,” and set a $70 price target on the shares, which had closed at $58.62 on Tuesday. Deutsche also raised its 2010 and 2011 earnings estimates for the company by 7% and 4%, respectively.

The firm comments that “We are upgrading shares of UPS to Buy, as we expect the company to benefit from improving International Package volumes as well as synergies from its U.S. Domestic Package restructuring initiatives. The restructuring initiatives are expected to begin to be accretive in H2 2010 (net neutral annual impact) and add $0.10/share annually to our EPS estimates beginning in 2011. We see solid value in UPS shares, with the company trading at a 3% dividend yield and 7% free cash yield. UPS is now Buy-rated, but FedEx (NYSE: FDX) (Buy-rated) remains our top Airfreight pick.”

Earnings Preview: UPS Seen Posting 4Q Profit - ABC News
OVERVIEW: UPS, based in Atlanta, is expected to post an adjusted profit on lower revenue for the October-December quarter.

On Jan. 8, UPS raised its profit forecast for the fourth-quarter that ended in December, citing improving operations and cost cuts.

The company expected to post earnings of 73 cents to 75 cents per share for the October-to-December quarter. UPS previously predicted earnings of 58 to 65 cents per share.

Shopping for Bargains in the Transports - The Street
Package carriers felt the pressure when FedEx gapped down from a 52-week high in December after issuing downside guidance for 2010. However, United Parcel Service has bucked the tide, holding up well in January and then gapping higher after the company did the opposite of FedEx and raised its outlook.

The rally in UPS carried to $63.38 before the stock topped out and rolled over with the broad market last week. The subsequent decline has now filled the big breakout gap and dropped into the 50-day moving average. This is a natural spot for a recovery effort and a resumption of the company's strong uptrend.

The package carriers' two-sided performance adds considerable confusion to the mix, because it's sending conflicting signals about the current state of the economy. In a way, the inconsistency makes sense because broad economic data is reporting expansion but offering little hope that growth will increase in the months ahead.