United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 2.6% – Time to Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) traded down 2.6% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $112.46 and last traded at $113.90. 3,395,041 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 23% from the average session volume of 4,431,387 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Loop Capital cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target for the company. UBS Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.5 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $120.13 and a 200-day moving average of $127.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $98.44 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.69%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is 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.