Morgan Stanley Cuts United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target to $82.00

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its target price reduced by Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $82.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

UPS has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $114.19 on Friday. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $109.62 and a 1 year high of $158.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a PE ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 96.45%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. Quarry LP lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 453.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 537 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 67.4% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 745 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 39.7% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 108,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,793,000 after purchasing an additional 30,815 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 149,220 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $20,345,000 after buying an additional 10,227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farmers Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 3,036 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $414,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during 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.