United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.4%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 0.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $127.48 and last traded at $127.97. 475,007 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 4,222,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Susquehanna dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.9 %

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.99. 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 company has a market capitalization of $108.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.54 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.12%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 67.4% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 745 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $331,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,440,000. Cim LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.5% during the second quarter. Cim LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,405,000 after buying an additional 1,140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at approximately $20,309,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.