Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Sells 1,296 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,686 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,296 shares during the period. United Parcel Service makes up 1.7% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $18,189,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,255,623,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 105,818.6% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,215,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $732,833,000 after purchasing an additional 4,211,580 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in United Parcel Service by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,508,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,331,875 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,730,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,343,799,000 after buying an additional 1,949,775 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 19,991.7% during the first quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,905,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,822,000 after buying an additional 1,896,016 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on UPS. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Argus lowered United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $147.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.45.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS traded up $2.78 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $146.57. The stock had a trading volume of 4,800,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,374,825. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.68 and a 1 year high of $197.80. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $151.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.41. The stock has a market cap of $124.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The company’s revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

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.