United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.7% – Should You Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 0.7% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $127.55 and last traded at $127.61. 709,059 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,174,933 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $108.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $132.89 and its 200 day moving average is $132.68.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.13%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Logan Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.9% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 87,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,871,000 after acquiring an additional 9,250 shares during the period. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 24,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,340,000 after buying an additional 5,209 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its position in United Parcel Service by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 83,104 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,330,000 after buying an additional 11,305 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.8% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 34,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,670,000 after acquiring an additional 7,240 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.