United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.6%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares dropped 0.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $125.81 and last traded at $127.69. Approximately 1,330,068 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 4,222,939 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays decreased 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. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Stephens dropped their target price on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $108.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $130.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.54 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

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

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after buying an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,128,322,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,914 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 208.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,717,391 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $270,025,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spirepoint Private Client LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $160,787,000. 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.