Pettyjohn Wood & White Inc. Sells 150 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Pettyjohn Wood & White Inc. decreased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,192 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. Pettyjohn Wood & White Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $655,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Argyle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 26,428 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,333,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $206,000. Linscomb Wealth Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 49,509 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $27,584,000. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 4,997 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.6 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $117.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $100.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $122.54 and a 200-day moving average of $128.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.58%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on UPS shares. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

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.