United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. BNP Paribas Exane raised United Parcel Service from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Citigroup reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Galvan Research reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.44.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $84.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.24. The firm has a market cap of $71.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. United Parcel Service has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. Analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christiana Smith Shi acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,769,000. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 13,739 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,732,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $265,000. 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.