United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment trimmed its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 67.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,455 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 13,240 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $809,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 69.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 7,786 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at about $2,054,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 202.9% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 269,498 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $36,741,000 after purchasing an additional 180,519 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its position in United Parcel Service by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 24,176 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,296,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 48,196 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,571,000 after buying an additional 662 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $110.16 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $94.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.52 and a 12 month high of $154.29.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors 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 5.95%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.83.

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.