United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Sold by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC decreased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 156,850 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 5,147 shares during the period. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $15,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,794,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218,432 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,092,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,183,268,000 after buying an additional 1,029,377 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,142,759 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,692,290,000 after buying an additional 856,125 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,154,091 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,703,291,000 after acquiring an additional 240,253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 72.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,370,639,000 after acquiring an additional 5,826,824 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on UPS to $132 and reiterated a buy rating, while Stephens upgraded the stock to strong-buy, signaling Wall Street sees more upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: UPS was added to the Russell 1000 Value Defensive and Russell 1000 Defensive indexes, which can support demand from index-focused investors and highlight the stock’s defensive appeal. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call option buying suggests traders are positioning for continued gains in UPS shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles pointed to UPS’s strong earnings-beat history and growing investor attention ahead of the next quarterly report, reinforcing expectations for another solid print. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS is reshaping its network, likely as part of ongoing operational efficiency efforts, but the article did not indicate an immediate material financial impact. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS and FedEx remaining top logistics companies by market cap is a reminder of the company’s scale, but this is more a sector ranking than a stock-moving catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General flagged UPS’s air cargo contract with USPS, urging a re-evaluation over volume-guarantee risks and even possible termination if issues are not addressed, which adds uncertainty around parcel volumes and contract revenue. Article Title

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.7%

UPS traded up $1.88 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $112.61. 3,408,694 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,506,363. The firm has a market cap of $95.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $105.35 and a 200 day moving average of $105.59.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on UPS. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens raised United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings cut United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Company 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.