Franklin Resources Inc. Lowers Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 9.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,495,457 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 1,024,679 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 1.11% of United Parcel Service worth $1,277,804,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd 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. Centerpoint Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 291.7% during the second quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UPS. 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 report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service 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 shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $128.76. 3,988,455 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,187,053. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $132.99 and a 200 day moving average of $132.85. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.12 and a 1 year high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.06%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

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.