Herold Advisors Inc. Lowers Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Herold Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,449 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 901 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 69.5% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 239 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Argus lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $147.53 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.68 and a 1 year high of $192.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $125.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day moving average is $149.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $150.96.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.