United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 819,533 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 196,996 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.10% of United Parcel Service worth $103,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% during 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 last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $133.18.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded down $2.50 on Friday, hitting $97.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,564,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,720,954. The company has a market capitalization of $83.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.57 and a 52-week high of $153.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $115.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.72%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

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.