Wesbanco Bank Inc. Sells 1,113 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Wesbanco Bank Inc. lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,268 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,113 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $7,474,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $147,242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $132.59 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $113.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.56 and a 1-year high of $161.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $128.97 and its 200-day moving average is $130.81.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.