Atria Investments Inc Sells 1,441 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Atria Investments Inc lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 68,059 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,441 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UPS. IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $119.10 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $121.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.88. The firm has a market cap of $101.73 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 period last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 yield of 5.51%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on UPS. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

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.