Willis Investment Counsel Sells 18,358 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Willis Investment Counsel lessened its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 210,373 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 18,358 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $20,867,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $848,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $820,000. Finally, L2 Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 3,336 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on UPS shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $113.03.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $100.43 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The company has a market capitalization of $85.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.12. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $106.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.49.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $24.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.91 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.75 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.