United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 1%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price dropped 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $127.75 and last traded at $128.00. Approximately 380,848 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 4,234,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.20.

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 market cap of $109.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.79.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.54 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.47 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Security National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.