Horan Capital Advisors LLC. Lowers Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Horan Capital Advisors LLC. cut its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,373 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 327 shares during the quarter. Horan Capital Advisors LLC.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Pacific Sage Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $979,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $119.27 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.88 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $122.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.03.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.50%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

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.