United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lowered its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,774,141 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 13,534 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of United Parcel Service worth $263,691,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 87.6% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,854,180,000 after buying an additional 8,475,698 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after buying an additional 14,410,073 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,510,517,000 after acquiring an additional 980,317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,128,322,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $135.47 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $132.90 and a 52 week high of $192.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $141.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.12. The stock has a market cap of $115.90 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on UPS. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Bank of America lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.55.

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.