United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 17.7% – Should You Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) shares traded down 17.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $110.04 and last traded at $110.16. 17,117,129 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 247% from the average session volume of 4,936,639 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $97.45 billion, a PE ratio of 17.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $128.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.5 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 dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 13,170 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,661,000 after buying an additional 584 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $264,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $303,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 867,132 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $109,345,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Finally, Mcdonald Partners LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 24,412 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,078,000 after acquiring an additional 669 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.