United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Position Cut by Embree Financial Group

Embree Financial Group lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,023 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 362 shares during the period. Embree Financial Group’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $255,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 180,494 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $22,760,000 after buying an additional 3,721 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 2,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Jacksonville Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $365,000. Advocate Group LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Advocate Group LLC now owns 74,600 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,407,000 after purchasing an additional 6,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Monte Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $3,632,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $132.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.82. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.