United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target Lowered to $153.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $156.00 to $153.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on UPS. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $133.61 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $114.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $121.56 and a 1 year high of $161.35. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $130.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.88%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.