Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Reduces Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 17.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 205,715 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 44,203 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $25,941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of UPS opened at $129.97 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.56 and a 12 month high of $161.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $129.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $110.91 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.