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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price fell 0.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $114.25 and last traded at $115.21. 807,237 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 6,559,051 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.42.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UPS. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock 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 assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

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 business has a 50 day moving average of $123.99 and a 200-day moving average of $128.58. The stock has a market cap of $98.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.70%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $265,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 13,739 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,732,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 28,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,531,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.