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

First Horizon Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 16.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,164 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,017 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 291.7% in the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 168.5% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PSI Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $131.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $132.83 and a 200-day moving average of $134.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.12 and a twelve month high of $163.82.

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 the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.96%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

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.