United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Thrive Wealth Management LLC

Thrive Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 30.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,330 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 998 shares during the period. Thrive Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $294,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 14,352 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 160.1% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 257,974 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $35,304,000 after purchasing an additional 158,784 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 113.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,998 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 2,129 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 67.1% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 28,738 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,933,000 after purchasing an additional 11,537 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 328,330 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $44,932,000 after purchasing an additional 40,988 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $129.77 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $110.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $128.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.56 and a 12 month high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.02%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Susquehanna upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.