United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 0.5%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) fell 0.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $134.96 and last traded at $135.27. 576,577 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,030,172 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.95.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.55.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $141.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $148.50. The company has a market capitalization of $115.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cullen Investment Group LTD. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 10,109 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 38,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,301 shares during the last quarter. Old Port Advisors increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 10,101 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at $149,000. Finally, Clear Rock Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Clear Rock Advisors LLC now owns 13,868 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.