United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lowered its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,300 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Pacific Sage Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $114.25 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.95. The company has a market capitalization of $97.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.90, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $129.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.74%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 96.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer raised 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. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of 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, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.