United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.5%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $128.18 and last traded at $128.32. Approximately 1,667,769 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 61% from the average daily volume of 4,243,766 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.20.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $108.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $131.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.92.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.54 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.14%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,676,441 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $578,053,000 after buying an additional 200,297 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 235.3% during the fourth quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 237,333 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,316,000 after acquiring an additional 166,557 shares in the last quarter. Natixis bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $121,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 62,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,805,000 after purchasing an additional 10,467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after purchasing an additional 980,317 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.