United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Gap Down to $132.13

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $132.13, but opened at $128.50. United Parcel Service shares last traded at $127.32, with a volume of 1,500,157 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned 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.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 3.6 %

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $130.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market cap of $109.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.54 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Security National Bank bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 869.6% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. 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.