United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Achmea Investment Management B.V.

Achmea Investment Management B.V. decreased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 47.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 33,654 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 30,185 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 22.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 335,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $45,716,000 after acquiring an additional 61,360 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,129 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,381,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 4,369 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $596,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 131,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $17,872,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 29,851 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,070,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of UPS opened at $116.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.38.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 prior year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.61%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Citigroup lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service 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.