United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.9% – Here’s Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price traded down 0.9% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $124.21 and last traded at $124.97. 614,285 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 4,195,302 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $107.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $131.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.92.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.20%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the second quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,167,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by 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.