United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Sovereign Financial Group Inc.

Sovereign Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,105 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 226 shares during the quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased 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 acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,919,945 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $367,300,000 after purchasing an additional 685,259 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.7 %

UPS stock opened at $125.89 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $107.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $129.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.01. 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 12 month low of $121.56 and a 12 month high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.18%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.