Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Sells 466,091 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership decreased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 54.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 388,186 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 466,091 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $48,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allianz SE purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $8,838,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $364,000. Allstate Corp purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $2,736,000. DnB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 267,467 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $33,728,000 after purchasing an additional 12,119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alerus Financial NA raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Alerus Financial NA now owns 13,508 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,703,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.83.

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United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $110.16. 4,509,181 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,669,280. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $117.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $106.68 and a 12 month high of $154.29.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.95%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 97.04%.

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.