Grimes & Company Inc. Has $16.20 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Grimes & Company Inc. reduced its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 128,433 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 13,255 shares during the quarter. Grimes & Company Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $16,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $897,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $979,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $132.98 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $128.95 and its 200-day moving average is $130.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $121.56 and a 52 week high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

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.