AIA Group Ltd Reduces Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

AIA Group Ltd reduced its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 82.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,504 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 15,979 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 41,386 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,219,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Prevail Innovative Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $304,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 190,286 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $23,847,000 after purchasing an additional 12,286 shares during the period. Allianz SE bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $8,838,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $364,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $109.29 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.17, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.18 and a 12-month high of $154.29. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) 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 last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS 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 dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.83.

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.