United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Jensen Investment Management Inc.

Jensen Investment Management Inc. reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 22,874 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 940 shares during the quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,884,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rockport Wealth LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $794,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Signature Wealth Management Group increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 26,197 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,303,000 after acquiring an additional 995 shares during the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 12,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,620,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $247,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note 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 research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $116.90 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $99.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.38.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

About United Parcel Service

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.