United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.3% – Here’s Why

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on UPS. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.38.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $128.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.81. The firm has a market cap of $113.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the 3rd 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 period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after buying an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.