Nwam LLC Sells 90,528 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Nwam LLC reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 53.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 77,543 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 90,528 shares during the quarter. Nwam LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $9,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Heritage Investors Management Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Investors Management Corp now owns 82,448 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,397,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Carlson Capital L.P. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $807,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 5,455 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $688,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sabal Trust CO raised its position in United Parcel Service by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Sabal Trust CO now owns 171,027 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $21,567,000 after buying an additional 5,005 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $116.83 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The business has a 50 day moving average of $122.64 and a 200-day moving average of $128.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $99.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.61%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

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.