United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by HFG Advisors Inc.

HFG Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,547 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 114 shares during the period. HFG Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $1,128,322,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 208.1% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,717,391 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $270,025,000 after acquiring an additional 1,160,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after acquiring an additional 980,317 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock traded down $0.79 during trading on Monday, reaching $136.06. 1,521,710 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,048,629. The company has a market cap of $116.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.72, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $132.90 and a 52-week high of $192.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $141.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $156.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.55.

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.