United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 54.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 388,186 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 466,091 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $48,950,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.9% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver Consulting Group boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.0% in the third quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 3,053 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $109.29 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.18 and a twelve month high of $154.29. 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 50-day moving average of $117.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.15. The company has a market capitalization of $93.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 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 Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.00%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.83.

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.