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

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price fell 0.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $130.95 and last traded at $131.02. 467,582 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 4,165,536 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.33.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.90.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $118.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $130.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.17.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.72%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 106.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,556,000 after buying an additional 406,248 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $888,254,000 after buying an additional 20,426 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $567,157,000 after buying an additional 393,434 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the first 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.