Sepio Capital LP Trims Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sepio Capital LP lowered its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 17.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,001 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 4,696 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,616,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 69.5% in 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.3 %

UPS traded down $0.42 on Friday, hitting $138.68. The company had a trading volume of 2,993,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,022,974. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $148.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $150.81. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $133.68 and a 12-month high of $192.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on UPS. TheStreet upgraded United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

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.