United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.1% – What’s Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares dropped 0.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $130.15 and last traded at $131.14. Approximately 350,131 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 4,236,176 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 22nd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.30.

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 50-day moving average of $128.99 and a 200-day moving average of $137.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were bought 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 in the company, valued at $663,627.60. This trade represents a 3,100.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 stock. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 291.7% in the second quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 869.6% during the first quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 200 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.