QRG Capital Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

QRG Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,694 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,090 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $12,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $1,305,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UPS. Loop Capital decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $117.61 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.