United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Bank OZK

Bank OZK trimmed its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 51.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,927 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,047 shares during the period. Bank OZK’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $1,305,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $118.97 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

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.