United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.8% – Should You Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $118.08 and last traded at $117.86. 565,105 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 4,413,753 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UPS. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $120.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.24, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.63%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Claro Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 53.8% in the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 3,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 1,367 shares in the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,620 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at $309,000. Verity & Verity LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.2% during the third quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 129,551 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $17,663,000 after buying an additional 4,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 56,641 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,723,000 after acquiring an additional 1,007 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.