Stifel Nicolaus Lowers United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target to $153.00

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price objective trimmed by Stifel Nicolaus from $156.00 to $153.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.5 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $132.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $121.56 and a 1 year high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $128.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,035,313,000 after purchasing an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after buying an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,080,170,000 after acquiring an additional 373,202 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,448,960,000 after acquiring an additional 380,229 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.