United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Sold by First Foundation Advisors

First Foundation Advisors lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 176,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 16,442 shares during the period. United Parcel Service makes up about 0.7% of First Foundation Advisors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. First Foundation Advisors’ holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $17,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Shrier Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $1,099,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $667,109,000 after purchasing an additional 761,217 shares during the last quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 192.7% during the 4th quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 19,734 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,957,000 after purchasing an additional 12,993 shares during the last quarter. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,868,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 5.1% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,470,790 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $122,855,000 after buying an additional 71,764 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $98.48 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.62 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.06. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.00 and a fifty-two week high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $85.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.87.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.