United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $122.33 and last traded at $122.65, with a volume of 6260778 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $123.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPS. UBS Group upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $104.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company’s fifty day moving average is $132.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.46.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 71.8% in the 2nd quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,988,000 after acquiring an additional 6,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investors Research Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 89.0% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 10,939 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 5,150 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.