Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Sells 7,755 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC lessened its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,745 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 7,755 shares during the period. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,027,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC increased 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $110.01 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.40 and a 1 year high of $157.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.27, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.79.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.96%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.91.

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.