United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) dropped 0.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $133.88 and last traded at $134.15. Approximately 565,522 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 4,197,090 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price target for the company. Baird R W upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.71. The company has a market capitalization of $114.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.47 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in 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 buying an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $888,254,000 after buying an additional 20,426 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $567,157,000 after buying an additional 393,434 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,113,870 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $611,445,000 after buying an additional 101,349 shares during 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.