United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.4% Following Analyst Downgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.4% during trading on Tuesday after StockNews.com downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a hold rating. The company traded as low as $94.59 and last traded at $95.19. 2,246,889 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 4,727,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $95.56.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $131.32.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pacific Sage Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $840,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,583 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $452,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altus Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,022 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $82.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.77%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.