Quest Partners LLC Sells 6,035 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Quest Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 71.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,353 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 6,035 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Equity Investment Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 521,033 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $71,038,000 after purchasing an additional 15,641 shares during the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 204,094 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,826,000 after purchasing an additional 3,233 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,165,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $295,176,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 53.8% in the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 3,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ceera Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 78.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ceera Investments LLC now owns 7,016 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $957,000 after purchasing an additional 3,080 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $137.53 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $133.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.03. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.12 and a 1-year high of $163.82. The company has a market cap of $117.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.74%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.