Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 1,372 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sentry Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 59.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 951 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,372 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $130,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position 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 during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after buying an additional 980,317 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $1,128,322,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,556,000 after acquiring an additional 406,248 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $128.42 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.12 and a fifty-two week high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $109.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.06 and a 200 day moving average of $140.13.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.54 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.08%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is 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.