United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.4% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price dropped 0.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $127.58 and last traded at $128.45. Approximately 732,248 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 4,172,709 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.98.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.75.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company 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%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,368 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,145,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 6,181 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $846,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,694,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 7,716 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,056,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,208 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $713,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.