United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Wright Investors Service Inc.

Wright Investors Service Inc. lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,196 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,424 shares during the quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MWA Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth about $2,125,000. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the third quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 387,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,908,000 after purchasing an additional 44,721 shares in the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the third quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,587,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 289.9% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 60,201 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,384,000 after acquiring an additional 44,760 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Raymond James cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $153.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Argus lowered United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock traded up $0.02 on Thursday, reaching $142.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 804,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,272,419. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $133.68 and a 52 week high of $197.80. The company has a market capitalization of $121.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $149.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.62 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.