Stifel Nicolaus Cuts United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target to $120.00

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target trimmed by Stifel Nicolaus from $124.00 to $120.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

UPS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $98.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $84.54 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $99.32 and a 200-day moving average of $106.14. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $84.28 and a 1 year high of $145.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $71.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.79 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 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, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,557 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 7,227 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $911,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 5,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Dallas Securities Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 11,421 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,256,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently 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.