United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Berkeley Capital Partners LLC

Berkeley Capital Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 51.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,939 shares during the quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $397,329,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,136 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,272,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,277,328 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $117.42 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.18. The company has a market cap of $100.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.59%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America cut their price target 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. UBS Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

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.