First County Bank CT Sells 1,269 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

First County Bank CT cut its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 24.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,897 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,269 shares during the period. First County Bank CT’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $491,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% during the second quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.6 %

UPS traded up $0.73 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $124.94. 2,322,180 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,454,447. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $122.01 and a one year high of $161.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $130.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.22%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.30.

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.