Columbia Asset Management Reduces Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Columbia Asset Management cut its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 72.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,020 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 115,640 shares during the period. Columbia Asset Management's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after acquiring an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after acquiring an additional 268,278 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Susquehanna lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS traded up $1.37 on Friday, hitting $98.24. 3,041,147 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,162,779. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $97.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.74. The firm has a market cap of $83.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.22. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $90.55 and a one year high of $148.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.