United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.3% – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 0.3% on Friday . The company traded as low as $122.76 and last traded at $123.51. 884,128 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 1,896,372 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $105.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $130.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $131.69.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the second quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,167,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third 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 last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $897,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 81 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.