Shepherd Financial Partners LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC lessened its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,893 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 708 shares during the period. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $365,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $113.20 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $126.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $129.46. The company has a market cap of $96.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm earned $2.47 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.80%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service 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.