United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.6%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $125.81 and last traded at $127.69. 1,330,068 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 4,222,939 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $108.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.13.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The company had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.54 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.14%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 67.4% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 745 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth about $331,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth about $1,440,000. Cim LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cim LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $20,309,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.