United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 1.1% - What's Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $127.62 and last traded at $127.71. Approximately 927,261 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 4,170,199 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $133.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $132.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.05%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Logan Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 87,069 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,871,000 after buying an additional 9,250 shares during the period. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 27.0% in the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 24,500 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,340,000 after acquiring an additional 5,209 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 15.7% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 83,104 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,330,000 after acquiring an additional 11,305 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 34,255 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,670,000 after purchasing an additional 7,240 shares during the period. 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.