United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Gap Down to $132.13

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $132.13, but opened at $128.50. United Parcel Service shares last traded at $127.32, with a volume of 1,500,157 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective for the company. Baird R W upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $110.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.54 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 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, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company 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 modified their holdings of UPS. Cullen Investment Group LTD. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the first quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the second quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.2% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% during the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 9,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,354,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.