United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Holdings Decreased by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lessened its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 29.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 519,161 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 215,259 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.06% of United Parcel Service worth $65,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $96.34 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $82.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $110.76 and a 200-day moving average of $122.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $90.55 and a one year high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.81%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.70.

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.