Empirical Finance LLC Sells 302 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Empirical Finance LLC reduced its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,693 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 302 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.2 %

UPS stock opened at $113.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $96.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 96.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

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.