Southern Capital Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Southern Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 91,726 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,979 shares during the period. United Parcel Service accounts for approximately 6.4% of Southern Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Southern Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $11,567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 14.1 %

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $114.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.62 and a 1 year high of $158.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $128.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.61.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value 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. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.