Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC Sells 256 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC decreased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 256 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grimes & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 150,842 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,591,000 after buying an additional 22,409 shares during the period. Signature Wealth Management Group boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.8% in the first quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 27,986 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,078,000 after acquiring an additional 1,789 shares during the last quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 99,005 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,890,000 after acquiring an additional 12,332 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 100,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,059,000 after acquiring an additional 2,850 shares during the period. Finally, Precedent Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 43.2% during the 1st quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 2,862 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $101.07 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $97.68 and a 200-day moving average of $112.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.22. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.55 and a twelve month high of $148.15.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.49%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 95.63%.

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.