United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.6% Following Analyst Downgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 0.6% on Friday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $141.00 to $127.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as low as $96.57 and last traded at $99.51. Approximately 1,990,770 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 4,683,590 shares. The stock had previously closed at $100.12.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Truist Financial began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.18.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after acquiring an additional 414,710 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 2.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $83.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $115.82 and a 200-day moving average of $125.60.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.72%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

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.