Nuveen Asset Management LLC Decreases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,182,168 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 365,174 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $401,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Hsbc Global Res cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $120.87.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $99.54 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $150.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $103.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $85.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 95.63%.

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.