XML Financial LLC Cuts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

XML Financial LLC trimmed its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,434 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,560 shares during the quarter. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,225,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,009 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,875,000 after purchasing an additional 26,238 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.5% during the second quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.5% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 101,427 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,880,000 after buying an additional 8,766 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corp raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.5% in the second quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 2,084 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 76.4% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 28,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,858,000 after acquiring an additional 12,208 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $132.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $121.56 and a 1 year high of $161.35. The company’s fifty day moving average is $128.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.83.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

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.