United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 3.6% – Should You Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 3.6% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $94.50 and last traded at $94.71. 9,322,339 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 36% from the average session volume of 6,862,308 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.21.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on UPS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $91.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.62. The firm has a market cap of $80.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.94 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.9%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 101.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 4,616 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in United Parcel Service by 17.4% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,894,755 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $318,394,000 after acquiring an additional 430,013 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 71.9% during the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 15,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,669,000 after acquiring an additional 6,347 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,303,797 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $143,405,000 after purchasing an additional 142,249 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

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.