United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,705 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,193 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dfpg Investments LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 25,270 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,981,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on UPS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. TheStreet upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $147.59. 2,607,558 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,897,331. The firm has a market cap of $125.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $150.96. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $133.68 and a 1-year high of $192.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.