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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was down 0.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $145.39 and last traded at $145.44. Approximately 698,505 shares changed hands 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on UPS shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $150.96. The company has a market capitalization of $125.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MWA Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,125,000. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,229,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 387,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,908,000 after buying an additional 44,721 shares in the last quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 58,184 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,148,000 after buying an additional 686 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,587,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in 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.