Caprock Group LLC Sells 1,144 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Caprock Group LLC lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,144 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Tradewinds LLC. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $979,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $114.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.62 and a 52 week high of $158.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $128.31 and a 200-day moving average of $130.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 96.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.95.

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.