Isthmus Partners LLC Sells 15,437 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Isthmus Partners LLC lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,710 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 15,437 shares during the quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $10,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Evercore ISI upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $121.59 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.77. The firm has a market cap of $103.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

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, 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.47 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.40%. 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 is currently 97.04%.

United Parcel Service 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.