United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Price Target Lowered to $82.00 at Morgan Stanley

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price objective lowered by Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $82.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an underweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $114.19 on Friday. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $109.62 and a 52-week high of $158.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $128.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a PE ratio of 17.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period last year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’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 transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Pacific Sage Partners LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Parcel Service

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.