United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Lowered to Hold Rating by Baird R W

Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

UPS has been the topic of several other reports. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6 %

UPS opened at $114.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $128.72 and a 200-day moving average of $130.61. United Parcel Service has a fifty-two week low of $109.62 and a fifty-two week high of $158.95. The company has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.