United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stock Holdings Lessened by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 106,833 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 6,073 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $13,472,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.5 %

UPS opened at $132.98 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $121.56 and a twelve month high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $128.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.82. The firm has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on UPS. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service 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.