Smith Moore & CO. Has $498,000 Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Smith Moore & CO. lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,948 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 442 shares during the period. Smith Moore & CO.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,272,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277,328 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $97.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.57 and a 12-month high of $153.42. The business has a 50 day moving average of $115.82 and a 200-day moving average of $125.60. The stock has a market cap of $83.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced 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 in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.72%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.18.

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.