Raymond James Has Lowered Expectations for United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its target price lowered by research analysts at Raymond James from $155.00 to $145.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “strong-buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Raymond James’ target price points to a potential upside of 26.49% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.19.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded down $0.27 on Friday, hitting $114.63. 8,282,132 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,398,446. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $128.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.61. United Parcel Service has a one year low of $109.62 and a one year high of $158.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.31, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,035,313,000 after purchasing an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,080,170,000 after purchasing an additional 373,202 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,448,960,000 after purchasing an additional 380,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.