US Bancorp DE Sells 26,827 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

US Bancorp DE lowered its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 725,999 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 26,827 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned about 0.09% of United Parcel Service worth $91,549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,950,000. Tufton Capital Management boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Tufton Capital Management now owns 58,851 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,421,000 after purchasing an additional 4,014 shares during the period. Fortress Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $633,000. Argyle Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 26,428 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,333,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of UPS stock opened at $118.97 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $122.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.51%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.