StockNews.com Downgrades United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) to Hold

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

UPS has been the subject of several other reports. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.1 %

UPS stock opened at $116.83 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (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 previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $637,000. LM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $830,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 4,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $619,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 14,495 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,828,000 after acquiring an additional 1,924 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.