United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.3% - Here's What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) shares dropped 0.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $123.24 and last traded at $123.44. Approximately 1,124,848 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 4,176,014 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped 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. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.9 %

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $132.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.46. The stock has a market cap of $104.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.53, 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 quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business'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 transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. &PARTNERS lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 305.5% in the second quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 26,522 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,609,000 after acquiring an additional 19,981 shares during the last quarter. Slagle Financial LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Slagle Financial LLC now owns 17,932 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares during the last quarter. Diversified LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 9.2% in the second quarter. Diversified LLC now owns 1,552 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.0% during the second quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 2,083 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 41.9% during the second quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,318 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.