United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Stock Price Down 3.8% – Here’s What Happened

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price traded down 3.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $112.13 and last traded at $111.45. 1,449,649 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 4,496,863 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 4.9 %

The stock has a market cap of $94.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $119.95 and its 200 day moving average is $126.92.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued 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 dividend yield of 5.96%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pacific Sage Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring 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 valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Weaver Consulting Group grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 3,053 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 89 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.