United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Position Lowered by Smith Salley Wealth Management

Smith Salley Wealth Management lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 80.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,135 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 17,459 shares during the quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after purchasing an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,128,322,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 208.1% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,717,391 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $270,025,000 after buying an additional 1,160,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after buying an additional 980,317 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. HSBC upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.55.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE UPS traded down $1.25 on Tuesday, hitting $134.28. 3,116,820 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,009,023. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $132.90 and a twelve month high of $192.98. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $140.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS 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 business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

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.