United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Sold by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC lessened its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,573 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 13,577 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 110.1% in the second quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Salzhauer Michael purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $99.23 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.87. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $136.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.94 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.09.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.