United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 3.4%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 3.4% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $151.00 and last traded at $151.19. Approximately 2,466,482 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 40% from the average daily volume of 4,100,735 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Daiwa Capital Markets cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, December 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. TheStreet upgraded United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Susquehanna restated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.48.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $125.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.62 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. 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.