United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 1% - Here's Why

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) traded down 1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $98.37 and last traded at $98.65. 1,569,415 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 5,079,903 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $102.36 and a 200 day moving average of $117.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $84.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.62%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 95.63%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,274,323,000 after acquiring an additional 999,832 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,754,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after buying an additional 268,278 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is 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.

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