CENTRAL TRUST Co Has $1.15 Million Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

CENTRAL TRUST Co reduced its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,099 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 426 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $111.26 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $130.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.95. The stock has a market cap of $94.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.86%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. 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 note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Baird R W lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

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.