United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stake Lessened by Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,460 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,680,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd 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 shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.4 %

UPS stock opened at $117.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $99.94 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.40 and a 1 year high of $158.95. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.11.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.