United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by West Paces Advisors Inc.

West Paces Advisors Inc. reduced its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 81.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 328 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,467 shares during the quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $36,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,022 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 5,052 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 7,227 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $911,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the first quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. HSBC downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 3.1%

NYSE:UPS opened at $102.43 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.55 and a 52-week high of $148.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.42. The company has a market capitalization of $86.73 billion, a PE ratio of 15.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The firm’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.40%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 95.63%.

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.