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

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $133.88 and last traded at $134.15. 565,522 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 4,197,090 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.31.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on UPS. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $131.38 and a 200-day moving average of $135.71. The company has a market capitalization of $114.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.14.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.87%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $888,254,000 after buying an additional 20,426 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $567,157,000 after buying an additional 393,434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,113,870 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $611,445,000 after buying an additional 101,349 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.