United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.7% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 0.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $132.50 and last traded at $133.21. 531,709 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 4,163,342 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.29. The company has a market capitalization of $113.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Natixis bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% during the 2nd quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after acquiring an additional 6,073 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.