United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 1.4% – Here’s Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 1.4% on Monday . The company traded as low as $94.66 and last traded at $95.10. 546,797 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 6,390,387 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.70.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.61. The firm has a market cap of $81.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.18, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.84%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $397,329,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.