Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. Acquires 1,790 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 39.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,790 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 21,047 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 74.0% in the 4th quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,649 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,403 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 153.3% in the 4th quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 7,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $974,000 after purchasing an additional 4,672 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,339 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $114.19 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.40. 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 company has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.62 and a twelve month high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.5 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.