United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Up 0.2%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares were up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $130.25 and last traded at $129.77. Approximately 460,372 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 4,257,300 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Barclays dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen started coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Stephens lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $115.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $128.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 acquired at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 208.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,717,391 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $270,025,000 after acquiring an additional 1,160,005 shares during the period. Spirepoint Private Client LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $160,787,000. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $100,176,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.