Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Sells 1,255 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 39.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,918 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,255 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE UPS opened at $133.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $130.82. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $121.56 and a twelve month high of $161.35. The company has a market capitalization of $114.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.18, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays restated 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.24.

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.