Sawyer & Company Inc Reduces Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sawyer & Company Inc decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,829 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 797 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,753,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth $2,986,000. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co raised its position in United Parcel Service by 25.2% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 67,399 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,224,000 after acquiring an additional 13,563 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.1% in the second quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 59,098 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,088,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 69.2% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 44,558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,098,000 after purchasing an additional 18,227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zega Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $263,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UPS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.3 %

UPS opened at $127.42 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $129.22 and its 200-day moving average is $131.01. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $121.56 and a 52-week high of $161.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.12%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

United Parcel Service Company 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.