United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Vision Capital Management Inc.

Vision Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,569 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 6,428 shares during the period. Vision Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,972,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $1,305,000. Finally, Rovin Capital UT ADV boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 85.7% during the fourth quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 4,757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 2,195 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $111.95 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $127.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.69. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results 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 previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.86%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 96.45%.

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.