United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC decreased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 848,194 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 88,962 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service makes up 1.9% of Merit Financial Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $106,957,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,914 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after buying an additional 1,320,921 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $129.77 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $121.56 and a 12-month high of $161.35. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $110.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $129.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.97.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

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.