United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.1% – What’s Next?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price traded down 0.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $132.07 and last traded at $132.82. 363,821 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 4,168,217 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $114.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.39.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,556,000 after acquiring an additional 406,248 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $888,254,000 after acquiring an additional 20,426 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $567,157,000 after acquiring an additional 393,434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,113,870 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $611,445,000 after purchasing an additional 101,349 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.