United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Martin Capital Partners LLC

Martin Capital Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 44.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,511 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 12,995 shares during the period. United Parcel Service accounts for about 2.5% of Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,082,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE UPS opened at $111.75 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95. The company has a market capitalization of $95.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.53, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.