United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 2.9%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price traded down 2.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $144.42 and last traded at $144.60. 1,222,585 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 4,307,636 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Barclays cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Raymond James lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.96.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.6 %

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 company has a market capitalization of $125.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.37, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.57 and a 200-day moving average of $151.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.21 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the first quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.