United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 2.1% Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) fell 2.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $124.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as low as $94.12 and last traded at $94.69. 1,541,315 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 6,395,034 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.73.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Galvan Research dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 2.4 %

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 market cap of $80.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.96, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.97.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The business had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.95%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

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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