Isthmus Partners LLC Sells 15,437 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Isthmus Partners LLC reduced its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 85,710 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 15,437 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $10,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $121.59 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.77. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.95. The stock has a market cap of $103.85 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

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, beating 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 quarter last year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.40%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.00.

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.