United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Accredited Investors Inc.

Accredited Investors Inc. lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 784,749 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 175 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises 5.8% of Accredited Investors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Accredited Investors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $98,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after buying an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after acquiring an additional 268,278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group reduced their price target on 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. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.32.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 8.4 %

UPS stock opened at $99.65 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $153.42. The business’s 50-day moving average is $112.70 and its 200 day moving average is $124.44. The stock has a market cap of $85.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.58%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

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.