HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 26,310 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,093,882 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 26,310 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.13% of United Parcel Service worth $149,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 291.7% in the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $134.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.55 and a 200-day moving average of $133.67. The company has a market cap of $114.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $123.12 and a one year high of $163.82.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.86%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.