First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Sells 286 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. reduced its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 7,776 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 286 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $981,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after acquiring an additional 613,409 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,080,170,000 after acquiring an additional 373,202 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,448,960,000 after acquiring an additional 380,229 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $132.98 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $121.56 and a fifty-two week high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $128.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.80.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by 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.