Willis Investment Counsel Has $20.87 Million Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Willis Investment Counsel cut its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 210,373 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 18,358 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $20,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salzhauer Michael acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth $31,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 76.5% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Avion Wealth raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.1% during the third quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 434 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 37.3% during the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 456 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 47.7% during the third quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 486 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.03.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $100.43 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $106.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.31, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $24.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.75 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

About United Parcel Service

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.