Independent Advisor Alliance Reduces Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Independent Advisor Alliance trimmed its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 16.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 38,437 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 7,788 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Natixis acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $121,000. Interval Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $90,099,000. Sweeney & Michel LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth $388,000. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 23.1% in the first quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 53,836 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,002,000 after acquiring an additional 10,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,153,467 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $171,440,000 after acquiring an additional 3,214 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $134.82 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $115.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.12 and a 12 month high of $163.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $132.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.11.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

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.