Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Trims Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC decreased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 489,310 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 17,320 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.06% of United Parcel Service worth $76,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,456,055,000 after buying an additional 628,944 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,508,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,331,875 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,411,989 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,311,177,000 after buying an additional 31,533 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,433,087 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $379,245,000 after buying an additional 532,934 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $146.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,998,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,217,563. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $192.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $149.44 and its 200 day moving average is $150.74.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued 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. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UPS. TheStreet upgraded United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.23.

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.