United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.8%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares dropped 0.8% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $145.39 and last traded at $145.44. Approximately 698,505 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,314,821 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Argus downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. TheStreet raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $149.56 and its 200 day moving average is $150.96. The stock has a market cap of $125.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Financial Advisors acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 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.