United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Earns "Sell (D+)" Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• United Parcel Service (UPS) received a "Sell (D+)" rating from Weiss Ratings, indicating a negative outlook from the research firm.
• Multiple analysts have decreased their target prices for UPS, with the average target now at $109.31, reflecting growing pessimism about the company's performance.
• UPS reported earnings of $1.55 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates slightly, and saw a year-over-year revenue decline of 2.7%.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d+)" rating reiterated by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Vertical Research reissued a "hold" rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $96.00 price objective (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.31.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.8%

UPS traded up $0.70 on Friday, hitting $87.73. The company had a trading volume of 3,257,486 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,711,923. The firm has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.10. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $140.33. The company's fifty day moving average price is $85.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 110.1% during the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 525.0% during the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 68.9% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 282 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

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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