Vertex Planning Partners LLC Sells 162 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Vertex Planning Partners LLC cut its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,987 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 162 shares during the period. Vertex Planning Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $271,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Natixis bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth about $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Financial Partners Group LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% in the second quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $135.13 on Tuesday. 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 $115.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.12 and a 12 month high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 4.82%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird decreased 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 research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.52.

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.