United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.2% – Should You Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price fell 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $134.93 and last traded at $135.17. 796,462 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 4,180,138 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $114.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $147,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.