Econ Financial Services Corp Lowers Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Econ Financial Services Corp trimmed its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 34.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,891 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 12,687 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BLVD Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,479,000. Strategic Planning Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,885,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $667,109,000 after buying an additional 761,217 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 260.4% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 78,577 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,564,000 after buying an additional 56,772 shares during the period. Finally, Addenda Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 28.0% in the third quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 88,067 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,356,000 after acquiring an additional 19,289 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas Exane cut United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $113.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total transaction of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 3.4%

NYSE UPS opened at $98.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $83.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The business had revenue of $24.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.75 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.