Willis Investment Counsel Reduces Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Willis Investment Counsel cut its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 228,731 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 31,817 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $19,106,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,905,138 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,753,405,000 after acquiring an additional 768,912 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,774,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,106,381,000 after purchasing an additional 444,384 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,792,139 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,603,459,000 after purchasing an additional 746,667 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,623,834 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,675,733,000 after purchasing an additional 762,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth about $851,842,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stephens lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $113.67.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $116.72 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The company has a market cap of $99.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.69, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $103.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $123.70.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The company had revenue of $24.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.75 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.