United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.4% – Here’s Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $113.29 and last traded at $114.05. Approximately 945,160 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 6,700,629 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $97.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $125.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $129.06.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.72%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.