Federated Hermes Inc. Cuts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Federated Hermes Inc. lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,905,790 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 52,002 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service accounts for 0.7% of Federated Hermes Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $299,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Argus cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS traded up $0.58 on Thursday, reaching $142.83. The stock had a trading volume of 988,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,275,343. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $133.68 and a fifty-two week high of $197.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $149.65 and a 200-day moving average of $151.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $121.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.62 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.