United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.3% – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price was down 0.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $131.25 and last traded at $132.53. Approximately 685,801 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,323,071 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.87.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.5 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $113.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.84. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.90%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in 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 during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.