Hardy Reed LLC Purchases New Shares in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Hardy Reed LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,811 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

UPS traded down $0.25 during trading on Friday, hitting $116.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,455,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,796,271. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $123.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.64%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 97.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents 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 this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price 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. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.73.

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.