Confluence Investment Management LLC Sells 11,315 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Confluence Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 602,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 11,315 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $75,972,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 168.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock traded down $0.77 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $125.33. 621,626 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,201,786. 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 12-month low of $122.01 and a 12-month high of $161.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $131.02 and its 200 day moving average is $131.75. The company has a market cap of $106.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.20%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.