United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.1% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares were down 0.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $132.07 and last traded at $132.82. Approximately 363,821 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 4,168,217 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $113.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.46.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,914 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Spirepoint Private Client LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth approximately $160,787,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $147,242,000 after buying an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. 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.