Archford Capital Strategies LLC Trims Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Archford Capital Strategies LLC trimmed its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,547 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 657 shares during the period. Archford Capital Strategies LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $437,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 11,427 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Finally, LaFleur & Godfrey LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 62.8% during the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 6,225 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $785,000 after purchasing an additional 2,401 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.1%

UPS stock opened at $99.50 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $98.00 and a 200 day moving average of $111.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.26 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.55 and a 52 week high of $148.15.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.59%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $98.00 price target (down previously from $120.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $120.26.

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.