United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 1.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $142.80 and last traded at $143.06. 689,081 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 4,273,146 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. Barclays lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.4 %

The firm has a market cap of $121.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $149.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.62 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.58%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after buying an additional 178,394 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the fourth 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,456,055,000 after buying an additional 628,944 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after buying an additional 14,410,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after buying an additional 980,317 shares during the last quarter. 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.