North Star Asset Management Inc. Sells 343 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

North Star Asset Management Inc. cut its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,676 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 343 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,408,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 42.8% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 817 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 20,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,284,000 after purchasing an additional 1,653 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $839,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $1,651,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 261,220 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,072,000 after acquiring an additional 755 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Raymond James cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. One equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $143.55. 724,351 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,272,033. The stock has a market cap of $122.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $149.48 and its 200-day moving average is $151.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $197.31.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.62 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.54%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.