United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by JLB & Associates Inc.

JLB & Associates Inc. lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 15,913 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,040 shares during the period. JLB & Associates Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings 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 worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,305,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $116.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $99.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $123.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.40. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.63%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on 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 reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.