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UPS Dips Below $94 and Has a 7% Dividend Yield: Time to Buy?
Key Points
UPS' dividend yield has risen to nearly 7% as the stock price has fallen.
But there are concerns about volume, margins, and competition from Amazon.
Dividend coverage is slim, raising risk if earnings decline.
The dip in the United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) share price takes its dividend yield to almost 7%. That could prove to be a highly attractive entry point for passive-income-seeking investors. Still, will it prove to be a good buy, or is it a value trap?
What Wall Street analysts expect
Wall Street is divided over UPS, with Goldman Sachs recently adding the stock to its "conviction list" with a buy rating and a $132 price target. In comparison, Bank of America recently lowered its price target to $108 from $115 and kept a neutral rating on the stock, citing delivery volume concerns.
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The volume situation is somewhat nuanced. UPS has now completed its so-called "glide down," whereby it voluntarily reduced its delivery volume for Amazon by 50% from the start of 2025 to mid-2026. As such, the 5.7% decline in the U.S. domestic package segment shouldn't come as a surprise. On the second-quarter earnings call, CFO Brian Dykes called for "average daily volume to decline mid-single digits" in the U.S. segment, "reflecting a seasonal decline as well as the impact of this year's Amazon glide down, which completed in June."
UPS expectations
Delivery volume is a key number to watch; however, volume is one thing, pricing is another, and the relationship among pricing, volume, and margin is yet another. I'll return to pricing in a moment, but first note that management's guidance calls for U.S. domestic package segment operating margin to be 7% in the third quarter, and then 10.6% for the fourth quarter, based on management's estimate for 8.8% in the back half of the year.
As management notes, these figures imply year-over-year margin growth, which is good and consistent with management's strategy of eschewing low- or negative-margin deliveries from Amazon and others and investing in technology (smart facilities, automation, etc.) to improve productivity.
Image source: Getty Images.
But here's the problem: UPS faces margin pressure, and its massive dividend restricts its ability to react to any significant downward adjustment to its earnings and cash-flow expectations.
Pricing, volume, and margin
It's no secret that diesel costs (UPS ground operations) and jet fuel costs (UPS air operations) have both soared this year and stayed stubbornly high as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed for commercial traffic. Management offsets these rising costs by imposing fuel surcharges, and CEO Carol Tomé says they "functioned as designed" in the second quarter. Dykes says that while "higher fuel prices were a positive to revenue, the corresponding increase in expense meant that the net impact to consolidated operating profit dollars was modest."
While management didn't quantify the net impact, we know the following from its financial filings:
- U.S. domestic package fuel surcharge revenue grew by $721 million in the first half, while international package fuel surcharge revenue grew by $452 million, for a total increase of $1.173 billion.
- Total company fuel costs rose by $664 million in the first half, and its third-party fuel surcharge expense rose by $80 million.
Some simple math indicates a difference of $429 million. To be fair, this is not an exact estimate, as management noted there are other increased operating costs associated with fuel-related disruptions.
Image source: Getty Images.
That said, it's still a large number, and the question is whether UPS can continue to offset increased fuel costs with a fuel surcharge without suffering a loss of volume. It's a particular concern given how much it's gone up in 2026, and Amazon is likely to be competing with UPS, notably in the small and medium-sized business (SMB) market that UPS covets, through its new Amazon Supply Chain Services business launched in the spring.
Is UPS stock a buy?
The company's current dividend will cost $5.4 billion in 2026, and management is estimating $5.5 billion in free cash flow. Frankly, this is a slim cover, and there's little room for flexibility if its earnings outlook deteriorates amid higher costs and margin pressure stemming from difficulty meeting volume expectations due to higher prices and Amazon competition. All of which suggests now is not the best time to buy into the stock.
Should you buy stock in United Parcel Service right now?
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Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Goldman Sachs Group, and United Parcel Service. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
