Tufton Capital Management Reduces Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Tufton Capital Management lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 46,474 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,607 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service makes up about 1.5% of Tufton Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $7,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,456,055,000 after purchasing an additional 628,944 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake 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. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in United Parcel Service by 31.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,508,385,000 after buying an additional 2,331,875 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,273,417 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,988,777,000 after buying an additional 54,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 33.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,730,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,343,799,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949,775 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. HSBC lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Argus cut United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $142.52. 921,876 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,274,210. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $121.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.34. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.68 and a 1 year high of $197.80.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.62 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.