United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 3.6%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price traded down 3.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $126.54 and last traded at $127.33. 2,850,050 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 4,223,073 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.13.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on UPS. Barclays reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $110.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.50.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was 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 owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after purchasing an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $888,254,000 after purchasing an additional 20,426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $567,157,000 after purchasing an additional 393,434 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.