Verity Asset Management Inc. Has $572,000 Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Verity Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 37.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,658 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,790 shares during the period. Verity Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $572,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Loop Capital lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $111.26 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.86%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company 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.