Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Sells 418 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 11.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,168 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 418 shares during the period. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. M&G Plc purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $9,766,000. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $395,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.1% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 40,018 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,948,000 after acquiring an additional 3,987 shares in the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 16,278 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,419,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 50.3% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 5,853 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 1,958 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE UPS traded up $1.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $134.07. The stock had a trading volume of 3,337,614 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,169,392. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.76. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $123.12 and a one year high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 98.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

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.