United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 2.9%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 2.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $144.42 and last traded at $144.60. 1,222,585 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 4,307,636 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.09.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $125.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost 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 4.45%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Founders Financial Securities LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 7,180 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,586,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 9,990 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,557,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,058 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $944,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Nikulski Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $418,000. 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.