United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price dropped 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $125.45 and last traded at $125.79. Approximately 556,380 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 4,201,786 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.61. The company has a market capitalization of $105.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.27%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Everence Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 70.3% during the 4th quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,350 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,692,000 after buying an additional 8,810 shares in the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $9,530,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,583 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is 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.