United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Hartford Investment Management Co.

Hartford Investment Management Co. lowered its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,983 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 715 shares during the quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,853,000 after acquiring an additional 6,502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvwm LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the first quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The trade was a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE UPS traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $131.79. The company had a trading volume of 238,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,164,420. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.89 billion, a PE ratio of 21.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.12 and a twelve month high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $130.44 and its 200-day moving average is $136.19.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.54 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.95%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UPS. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price objective for the company. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.05.

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.