United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stock Position Reduced by Cox Capital Mgt LLC

Cox Capital Mgt LLC trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 48.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,290 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 14,247 shares during the period. Cox Capital Mgt LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd 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. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,919,945 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $367,300,000 after acquiring an additional 685,259 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $125.89 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $129.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.01. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.56 and a 12 month high of $161.35. The company has a market capitalization of $107.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.18%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate 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.