United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 777 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Equity Partners boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 394.5% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 2,794 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 11,071 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,315 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $796,000 after buying an additional 1,060 shares during the period. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 48.4% during the 4th quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 3,792 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sylvest Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $470,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $114.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.62 and a 1-year high of $158.95. The company has a 50-day moving average of $128.31 and a 200-day moving average of $130.28. The company has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.89, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other 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 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 directly 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 document filed 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 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.