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

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) had its price target lowered by Citigroup from $163.00 to $158.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

UPS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.1 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $134.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service has a twelve month low of $123.12 and a twelve month high of $163.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.86.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.86%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in 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 buying an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.