United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.2% – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price traded down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $113.92 and last traded at $113.88. 1,050,151 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 6,778,254 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.16.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James cut their price target 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, January 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a 50-day moving average of $125.55 and a 200 day moving average of $129.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.75%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 96.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its position in United Parcel Service by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 108,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,793,000 after acquiring an additional 30,815 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 257.1% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 5,235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $714,000 after acquiring an additional 3,769 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2,441.5% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,641 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,178,000 after buying an additional 8,301 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 169,801 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $23,151,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodstock Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 44,837 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,113,000 after purchasing an additional 7,691 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by 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.