Bank of America upgraded shares of $FedEx (FDX.US)$ from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. Bank of America currently has $233.00 price objective on the shipping service provider's stock, up from their prior price objective of $204.00.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on FDX. Barclays  set a $240.00 price objective on shares of FedEx in a research note on Monday, January 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of FedEx from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, December 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of FedEx from $165.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Friday, December 2nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of FedEx in a research note on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of FedEx from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $210.12.

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FedEx Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:FDX opened at $214.67 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.01. FedEx has a 12 month low of $141.92 and a 12 month high of $248.76.

FedEx (NYSE:FDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 20th. The shipping service provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.41. FedEx had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 19.17%. The firm had revenue of $22.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.66 billion.  Analysts expect that  FedEx will post 13.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FedEx Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 12th were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date  was Friday, December 9th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. FedEx's payout ratio is 36.14%.

Insider Transactions at FedEx

In other FedEx news, Director Amy B. Lane acquired 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $175.83 per share, for a total transaction of $49,232.40. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $268,844.07. Company insiders own  8.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FedEx

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in  FedEx by 24,422.8% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,169,490 shares of the shipping service provider's stock valued at $1,678,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164,721 shares during the period.  Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in  FedEx during the 2nd quarter valued at about $229,102,000.  Edmp Inc. grew its position in  FedEx by 21,900.8% during the 4th quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 882,454 shares of the shipping service provider's stock valued at $5,095,000 after purchasing an additional 878,443 shares during the last quarter.  Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in  FedEx during the 3rd quarter valued at about $122,633,000.  Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in  FedEx during the 2nd quarter valued at about $181,239,000. 72.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About FedEx

FedEx Corp. provides a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services under the FedEx brand. It operates through the following segments: FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, FedEx Services, and Corporate, Other & Eliminations. The FedEx Express segment consists of domestic and international shipping services for delivery of packages and freight.