OLD Second National Bank of Aurora Cuts Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora cut its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,998 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,100,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus cut United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.2 %

UPS stock traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $142.58. 651,071 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,271,368. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.57 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $133.68 and a 1-year high of $197.80.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.62 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. 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 4.57%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

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.