United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC

Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,785 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 2,283 shares during the quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,235,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6 %

United Parcel Service stock traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $114.19. The company had a trading volume of 15,842,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,791,747. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.62 and a 1 year high of $158.95. The business has a fifty day moving average of $128.72 and a 200 day moving average of $130.61. The stock has a market cap of $97.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. 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 report on Friday. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Citigroup reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.95.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.