United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 2.9%

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. TheStreet upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 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.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.45%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the first quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.