Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Sells 2,237 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,385 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 2,237 shares during the quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UPS. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third 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. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,305,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $114.96. The company had a trading volume of 4,247,525 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,669,686. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $98.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The company's 50-day moving average is $123.99 and its 200-day moving average is $128.58.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Raymond James decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.73.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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 directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company 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.