Hennessy Advisors Inc. Sells 900 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Hennessy Advisors Inc. cut its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,980,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rovin Capital UT ADV lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 85.7% in the 4th quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 4,757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 2,195 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPS. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $129.77 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $128.95 and its 200 day moving average is $130.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $110.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $121.56 and a twelve month high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 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%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.