J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Cuts Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 72,538 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 391 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $9,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hourglass Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,854,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,358,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 143,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $19,056,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 42,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,327,000 after buying an additional 1,172 shares during the period. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $233,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $116.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $99.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $124.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.78. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 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 earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.64%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.