Sabal Trust CO Boosts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sabal Trust CO raised its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 177,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,307 shares during the period. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $19,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 6,225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $785,000 after purchasing an additional 2,401 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $1,574,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 270.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,933 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 5,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FourThought Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Barclays cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $98.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:UPS opened at $99.50 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $111.09. The firm has a market cap of $84.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.50, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 40.15%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 95.63%.

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.