United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.7%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 0.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $145.92 and last traded at $146.02. 439,706 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 4,140,721 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UPS. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. UBS Group raised United Parcel Service from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Parcel Service from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Barclays cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Argus downgraded United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $126.00 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 94.49%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in United Parcel Service by 87.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,854,180,000 after buying an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,456,055,000 after buying an additional 628,944 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,510,517,000 after buying an additional 980,317 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.

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