United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Good Life Advisors LLC

Good Life Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 23,495 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,055 shares during the quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $1,305,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE UPS opened at $115.45 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.58. The company has a market capitalization of $98.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.98. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Equities research 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.68%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UPS. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

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.