United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 2.5% – What’s Next?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 2.5% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $123.16 and last traded at $123.57. 1,550,794 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 3,506,072 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 2.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $105.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 13,626 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,718,000 after acquiring an additional 756 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 61.5% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 2,505 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 117.6% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 7,419 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $936,000 after purchasing an additional 4,009 shares during the period. InvesTrust acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,856,000. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $560,000. 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.