Sfmg LLC Lowers Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sfmg LLC reduced its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 37.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,622 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 968 shares during the period. Sfmg LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $255,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aspire Private Capital LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 18,392 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,568,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $999,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. TheStreet upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Susquehanna reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $142.25 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $197.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.62 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.58%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

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.