United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.4% - What's Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $127.58 and last traded at $128.45. 732,248 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 4,172,709 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $109.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $132.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.85.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $362,000. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth about $270,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 12.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,109 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,057,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.2% during the second quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 22,679 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,104,000 after buying an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 92,728 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,666,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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