Highland Capital Management LLC Has $2.59 Million Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Highland Capital Management LLC reduced its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 20,561 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 470 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,593,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Tradewinds LLC. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $979,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $114.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $98.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $129.05 and its 200 day moving average is $130.72. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.62 and a twelve month high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company 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 5.67%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.