United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.8%

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 0.8% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $145.39 and last traded at $145.44. 698,505 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 4,314,821 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.62.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.96.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $149.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.03. The stock has a market cap of $125.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.3% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,586,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.6% in the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,058 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $944,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 42,132 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.4% in the third quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 7,789 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,214,000 after buying an additional 1,476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.3% in the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 11,954 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,863,000 after buying an additional 817 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.