Robert W. Baird Downgrades United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) to Neutral

Robert W. Baird cut shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Friday, Marketbeat reports. Robert W. Baird currently has $130.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $160.00.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $114.19 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $128.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.28. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $109.62 and a 52-week high of $158.95. 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 has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 453.6% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 537 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 67.4% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 745 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 108,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,793,000 after purchasing an additional 30,815 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 149,220 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $20,345,000 after buying an additional 10,227 shares during the period. Finally, Farmers Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.1% in the third quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 3,036 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $414,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.