Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 15,441 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its UPS stake by 43.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 15,441 shares and leaving it with 20,094 shares worth about $1.99 million.
• UPS reported quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in at $21.20 billion, also slightly above expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, implying an annualized yield of 6.6%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target price of $111.87.

Securian Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 43.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,094 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 15,441 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,993,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coston McIsaac & Partners lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 77.8% in the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 76.5% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 144.3% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 408 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.7%

UPS stock opened at $100.03 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.93 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.06. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $101.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.40.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm's revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 106.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC upgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings cut United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $111.87.

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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