United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 1.1% - Here's Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 1.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $115.39 and last traded at $115.35. Approximately 1,426,478 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 6,480,926 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Baird R W downgraded United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $123.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.33.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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 will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other 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 shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,213,699,000 after acquiring an additional 370,705 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,035,313,000 after acquiring an additional 613,409 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,979,695,000 after acquiring an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.