United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lowered its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,654 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 339 shares during the quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $840,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weaver Consulting Group increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% during the third quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 3,053 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $110.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $93.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $157.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $119.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.79.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.96%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UPS. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.91.

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.