United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Position Decreased by First Financial Bank Trust Division

First Financial Bank Trust Division reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 85 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:UPS traded down $2.23 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $123.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,996,503 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,201,786. 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 company has a market cap of $105.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $122.01 and a one year high of $161.48. The business’s 50-day moving average is $131.02 and its 200-day moving average is $131.75.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on UPS shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Company 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.