United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 1.7%

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 1.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $146.17 and last traded at $146.52. 506,459 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 4,288,507 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.01.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Argus cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 2.8 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $123.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.57.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. 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.