Vista Investment Partners LLC Sells 7,898 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Vista Investment Partners LLC trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 70.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,268 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 7,898 shares during the period. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $447,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $228,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $85,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 73,851 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,611,000 after purchasing an additional 1,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CapWealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 58,184 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,148,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:UPS traded up $1.10 on Friday, hitting $129.65. 3,255,863 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,253,306. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $134.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.45. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.12 and a 52 week high of $172.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $110.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.54 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.03%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 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.