United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.8% – Should You Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s stock price dropped 0.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $118.08 and last traded at $117.86. Approximately 565,105 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 4,413,753 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 3.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $96.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average is $120.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.80%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after purchasing an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after buying an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,979,695,000 after buying an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently 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.