Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 31.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,601 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 727 shares during the quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,272,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277,328 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $97.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $83.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $115.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.64. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.57 and a 1-year high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.72%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.18.

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.