United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.7% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 0.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $127.55 and last traded at $127.61. 709,059 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,174,933 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective for the company. Two equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $104.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $132.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.53.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.32%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,167,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $612,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.