Guardian Investment Management Sells 275 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Guardian Investment Management decreased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,800 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 275 shares during the quarter. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $607,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 104,809 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,216,000 after purchasing an additional 4,754 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $1,305,000. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,538 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of UPS stock opened at $129.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $121.56 and a one year high of $161.35. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $128.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.90. The company has a market capitalization of $110.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.10.

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.