Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Reduces Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC reduced its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 27.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,528 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,208 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Brookmont Capital Management raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.5% in the fourth quarter. Brookmont Capital Management now owns 27,167 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,426,000 after purchasing an additional 5,691 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 16,741 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,111,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares during the period. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. now owns 28,416 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,583,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $614,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $129.77 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $128.92 and its 200 day moving average is $130.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $121.56 and a 1 year high of $161.35.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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.