United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.4% – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price dropped 0.4% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $127.58 and last traded at $128.45. Approximately 732,248 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 4,172,709 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.98.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $132.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $109.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.07%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% in the 2nd quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 89.0% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 10,939 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,491,000 after acquiring an additional 5,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 2,351.8% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 146,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $20,018,000 after acquiring an additional 140,823 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.