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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 1.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $142.80 and last traded at $143.06. Approximately 689,081 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,273,146 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of 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. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Argus downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $149.65 and its 200-day moving average is $151.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.62 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.58%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction 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 approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% during 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 purchasing an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 628,944 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after purchasing an additional 980,317 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.