Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 821,781 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 7,499 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.10% of United Parcel Service worth $103,627,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after acquiring an additional 613,409 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,080,170,000 after acquiring an additional 373,202 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,448,960,000 after acquiring an additional 380,229 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS traded down $0.25 during trading on Friday, reaching $116.35. The company 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 stock has a market capitalization of $99.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $123.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.33. 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 (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, topping 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service 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 owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was 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 at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.