Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Sells 43,596 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Arrowstreet Capital trimmed its UPS position by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 43,596 shares but still holding 3.95 million shares valued at about $392.1 million.
• UPS reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, posting $1.07 per share versus the $1.02 estimate and revenue of $21.2 billion versus expectations of $20.99 billion, though revenue still fell 1.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: several firms cut price targets, and MarketBeat’s consensus rating on UPS is Hold with an average price target of $111.50.

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership decreased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,952,822 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 43,596 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned 0.47% of United Parcel Service worth $392,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westbourne Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Peoples Financial Services CORP. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Argyle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 27,505 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,728,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $107.96 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $91.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $103.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.06. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company 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 was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 106.15%.

United Parcel Service News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UPS shares have been boosted by a broader bullish take on the stock after the Fed’s rate-cut pivot, with some investors viewing UPS as an attractive cyclical income play with a high dividend yield. A Dramatic Fed Pivot Just Unlocked a New Era of Growth for UPS
• Positive Sentiment: UPS-owned Roadie announced a same-day delivery partnership with Omaha Steaks ahead of Father’s Day, highlighting growth in its last-mile and same-day delivery services. From Cart to Cookout: Omaha Steaks and Roadie Power Same-Day Delivery for Father’s Day
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS was also the subject of valuation and stock-performance commentary, with some analysts questioning whether the recent pullback created a better long-term entry point rather than pointing to a new fundamental problem. Is It Time To Reconsider UPS NYSE: UPS After Recent Share Price Weakness?
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS met its deadline for retrofitting delivery vans with air conditioning, easing one labor-related pressure point after Teamsters scrutiny, though the issue also underscores ongoing union oversight. UPS meets deadline for retrofitting delivery vans with air conditioning
• Negative Sentiment: Separate UK news about a parcel delivery firm “evaluating options” for a depot closure and 3,000 jobs at risk adds to concerns about softness or restructuring pressures in the parcel-delivery industry, which could weigh on sentiment toward UPS. Massive parcel delivery firm could shut UK depot as it ‘evaluates options’ – with 3,000 jobs at risk
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary still frames UPS as a large-cap stock with limited growth runway, and recent coverage has also highlighted weakness in the shares over the past week. 3 Large-Cap Stocks That Concern Us

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.

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