OLD Republic International Corp Sells 7,800 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

OLD Republic International Corp decreased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 365,600 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 7,800 shares during the period. United Parcel Service accounts for about 2.2% of OLD Republic International Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. OLD Republic International Corp’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $57,483,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 228,724 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,651,000 after acquiring an additional 19,971 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $618,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,019 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,432,000 after acquiring an additional 683 shares during the last quarter. Gratus Capital LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the third quarter. Gratus Capital LLC now owns 8,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,345,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,335,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS traded up $1.00 on Friday, reaching $147.43. 917,682 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,113,729. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $133.68 and a fifty-two week high of $192.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $125.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $149.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $150.49.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.42%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

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.