TCW Group Inc. Cuts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

TCW Group Inc. lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 325,350 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 10,160 shares during the quarter. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $51,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Argus lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS traded down $4.67 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $139.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,431,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,033,183. The stock has a market cap of $119.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $150.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.68 and a twelve month high of $192.98.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.69%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 94.49%.

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.