United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Should You Sell?

Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 0.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $124.56 and last traded at $124.77. 572,179 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,050,593 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.01.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.0 %

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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $129.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.98. The stock has a market cap of $110.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (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 net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.02%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UPS. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 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.