United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Trading Down 0.5% – Should You Sell?

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)’s share price was down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $98.15 and last traded at $98.66. Approximately 796,267 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 5,082,866 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. Hsbc Global Res lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $102.03 and its 200-day moving average is $117.25. The firm has a market cap of $83.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The business had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.69%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 95.63%.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,075,393,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,132,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988,044 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $476,936,000 after acquiring an additional 3,961,255 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $393,680,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth about $201,358,000. 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.