United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.8%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $145.37 and last traded at $146.33. 682,281 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 4,242,808 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Raymond James lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $124.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.74.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company’s revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.20 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About United Parcel Service

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.