United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lowered its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 22.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,010 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 569 shares during the quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $253,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $897,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $612,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $979,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $132.98 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $121.56 and a fifty-two week high of $161.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $128.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.82. The company has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Bank of America upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

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.