United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by HSBC

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) was downgraded by equities research analysts at HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Finviz reports. They currently have a $105.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock. HSBC’s price target suggests a potential upside of 10.09% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $120.87.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $95.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $81.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. United Parcel Service has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $153.42. The company’s fifty day moving average is $107.40 and its 200-day moving average is $120.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after acquiring an additional 414,710 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,373,964,000 after acquiring an additional 268,278 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.