United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.6%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 0.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $128.15 and last traded at $128.18. 413,684 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 4,222,478 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Susquehanna cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W raised United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.36. The stock has a market cap of $110.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.51 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,676,441 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $578,053,000 after acquiring an additional 200,297 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 235.3% during the fourth quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 237,333 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,316,000 after acquiring an additional 166,557 shares in the last quarter. Natixis bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $121,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 62,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,805,000 after buying an additional 10,467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after buying an additional 980,317 shares in the last quarter. 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.