Tufton Capital Management Trims Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Tufton Capital Management lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,474 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,607 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises approximately 1.5% of Tufton Capital Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $7,307,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth about $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% during the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

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

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS traded up $0.27 on Thursday, hitting $142.52. 921,876 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,274,210. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $149.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.34. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $197.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $121.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.57%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Argus cut United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. HSBC dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $153.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

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.