United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Sepio Capital LP

Sepio Capital LP cut its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 17,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 844 shares during the period. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,583 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on UPS. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut 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, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.18.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $97.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $115.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.60. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.57 and a 52-week high of $153.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.72%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

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.