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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $130.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 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 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 firm had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current 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 given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.06%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 74,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,635,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $218,000. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 128.2% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,028 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 1,701 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $578,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 62,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,805,000 after buying an additional 10,467 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.