Argent Advisors Inc. Sells 419 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Argent Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 419 shares during the period. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,304,000 after acquiring an additional 28,108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $118.13 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $120.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.32. The firm has a market cap of $100.91 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.55%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.09.

About United Parcel Service

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.