Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 660,939 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 93.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 48,825 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 660,939 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 507.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,244,234 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $321,796,000 after acquiring an additional 2,710,470 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $181,951,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,794,160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,432 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 94.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,300,081 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $231,388,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119,372 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,724,265 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $561,678,000 after acquiring an additional 993,461 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $98.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $83.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $102.73.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.87.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.