United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $114.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. United Parcel Service has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.41 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $108.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.66.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UPS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.