United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Lowered to Neutral Rating by Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $130.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $160.00.

UPS has been the topic of several other reports. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $114.19 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $97.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $128.31 and its 200 day moving average is $130.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service has a 1-year low of $109.62 and a 1-year high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced 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 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.