Prudential PLC Decreases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Prudential PLC decreased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,928 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 5,213 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at about $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at about $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,609,000 after acquiring an additional 9,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 154.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,580,000 after acquiring an additional 63,629 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $108.65 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.63. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The firm has a market cap of $92.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.50.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.