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

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 53.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,652 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,920 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $246,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after acquiring an additional 980,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,411,989 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,311,177,000 after acquiring an additional 31,533 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock opened at $136.89 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $132.90 and a 12-month high of $192.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $142.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.84, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.20 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.95.

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.