United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Zhang Financial LLC

Zhang Financial LLC reduced its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,375 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 324 shares during the period. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $531,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.2% during the 4th quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC now owns 3,653 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 85.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 26,370 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,146,000 after acquiring an additional 12,121 shares during the last quarter. HTLF Bank acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $6,544,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,423 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 128,294 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $20,172,000 after acquiring an additional 5,524 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. HSBC lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. TheStreet raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $142.77 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $197.80. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $121.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $149.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.19.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.62 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.