Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. Sells 31,001 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 60.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 20,441 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 31,001 shares during the period. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE UPS opened at $119.10 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $121.94 and its 200 day moving average is $127.88. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.73 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 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 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.51%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their price target 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. Citigroup decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

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.