United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 2.6% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 2.6% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $112.46 and last traded at $113.90. 3,395,041 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 23% from the average session volume of 4,431,387 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on UPS. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $120.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $98.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.69%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $397,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,136 shares during the period. 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.