Mariner LLC Cuts Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Mariner LLC reduced its UPS stake by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 95,242 shares and leaving it with 757,929 shares valued at about $75.2 million.
• UPS reported mixed quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.07 versus estimates of $1.02 and revenue of $21.20 billion, though revenue still declined 1.4% year over year.
• UPS continues to pay a large dividend, recently distributing $1.64 per share quarterly for an annualized yield of 6.0%, but the payout ratio is high at 106.15%.

Mariner LLC decreased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 757,929 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 95,242 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC owned about 0.09% of United Parcel Service worth $75,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Westbourne Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in 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 boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% in 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. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% in 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. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in 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 boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $108.87 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $103.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.23.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 106.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Company 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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