United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 1.4%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price fell 1.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $142.71 and last traded at $142.89. 4,197,107 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 4,529,379 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on UPS. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Argus lowered United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. Susquehanna restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $149.75 and its 200 day moving average is $151.40. The stock has a market cap of $121.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.