Romano Brothers AND Company Cuts Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Romano Brothers AND Company decreased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 57,752 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,389 shares during the period. United Parcel Service accounts for 1.2% of Romano Brothers AND Company’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Romano Brothers AND Company’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Security National Bank bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. HSBC upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.55.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS traded up $1.02 on Friday, reaching $136.85. The company had a trading volume of 6,609,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,011,769. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $132.90 and a 52-week high of $192.98. The company has a market cap of $117.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.56.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

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.