United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co reduced its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,847 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,474 shares during the quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,429,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after buying an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $397,329,000 after buying an additional 1,378,136 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after buying an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,272,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,277,328 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target 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. UBS Group dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.91.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $110.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $154.29. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $119.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $126.68. The company has a market capitalization of $94.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.91%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.