United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.2% – Here’s Why

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on UPS. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $106.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.02 and a 200 day moving average of $131.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 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, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.24%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 71.8% during the second quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by 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.