United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 1% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $132.23 and last traded at $132.46. Approximately 1,495,138 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 4,166,086 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Stephens dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.39. The company has a market cap of $114.72 billion, a PE ratio of 20.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.87%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Natixis purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 12.3% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,853,000 after acquiring an additional 6,502 shares in the last quarter. 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.