United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,031 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,934 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the second quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,496 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $889,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the second quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,167,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horan Capital Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the second quarter. Horan Capital Advisors LLC. now owns 23,029 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,152,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock traded up $1.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $134.07. 3,337,614 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,986,738. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $132.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.12 and a 1 year high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

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.