WBI Investments LLC Trims Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

WBI Investments LLC lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,251 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 8,269 shares during the quarter. WBI Investments LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,277,988 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,619,730,000 after purchasing an additional 372,850 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,063,250 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,594,713,000 after purchasing an additional 288,720 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $851,842,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $667,109,000 after purchasing an additional 761,217 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Bank of America raised shares of United Parcel Service from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.67.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $97.79 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.17. The company has a market cap of $83.03 billion, a PE ratio of 14.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.08. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 38.30% and a net margin of 6.28%.The firm had revenue of $24.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

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

United Parcel Service Company 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.