United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Position Cut by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 101,630 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 11,373 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $12,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $118.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $101.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.25.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.52%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Loop Capital lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.09.

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.