Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 52.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 661,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 717,838 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $83,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,304,000 after buying an additional 28,108 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $118.85 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share 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 given a $1.64 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPS. Bank of America reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.09.

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.