United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.3% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares fell 0.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $131.25 and last traded at $132.53. 685,801 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 4,323,071 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.38.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $128.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.81. The stock has a market cap of $113.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,009 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,875,000 after buying an additional 26,238 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.5% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 101,427 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,880,000 after purchasing an additional 8,766 shares in the last quarter. Certified Advisory Corp increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 2,084 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 76.4% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 28,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,858,000 after purchasing an additional 12,208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.