United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 17.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 243,616 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 50,231 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $38,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $153.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded down $0.64 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $142.25. 4,121,477 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,313,047. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average is $149.75 and its 200-day moving average is $151.40. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $197.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 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 given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.58%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

About United Parcel Service

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.