United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.8% – What’s Next?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) were down 0.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $126.07 and last traded at $126.28. Approximately 634,819 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 4,172,132 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.32.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.59. The stock has a market cap of $107.53 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted 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. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.17%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,035,313,000 after purchasing an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after buying an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,080,170,000 after acquiring an additional 373,202 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,448,960,000 after purchasing an additional 380,229 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.