Principle Wealth Partners LLC Lowers Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Principle Wealth Partners LLC cut its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,726 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 101 shares during the quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 69.5% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 239 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Susquehanna increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Barclays dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.1 %

UPS stock opened at $147.59 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $192.98. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.90. The firm has a market cap of $125.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

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.