Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 24.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,257 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 24,348 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $11,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after buying an additional 14,410,073 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,255,623,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 105,818.6% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,215,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $732,833,000 after buying an additional 4,211,580 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 31.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,508,385,000 after buying an additional 2,331,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,730,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,343,799,000 after buying an additional 1,949,775 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS traded down $3.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $145.67. 995,754 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,293,960. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $133.68 and a 52 week high of $197.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $149.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $124.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.62 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost 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 4.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 report on Wednesday, March 27th. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Company 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.