Korea Investment CORP Sells 92,072 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Korea Investment CORP lowered its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 508,196 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 92,072 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $64,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird cut shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.57.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $111.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $154.29. The firm has a market cap of $94.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $118.92 and its 200-day moving average is $126.58.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.