United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Shares Down 1.6% After Analyst Downgrade

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $154.00 to $150.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. United Parcel Service traded as low as $146.81 and last traded at $148.14. Approximately 897,590 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 4,327,738 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.57.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on UPS. Argus downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, December 26th. Barclays decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $153.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after buying an additional 178,394 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after buying an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,456,055,000 after buying an additional 628,944 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after purchasing an additional 980,317 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $125.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $149.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.66.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.62 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.