Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Sells 172,129 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management cut its UPS stake by 14.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 172,129 shares and ending with 1,031,331 shares valued at about $102.3 million.
• UPS reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.07 versus estimates of $1.02 and revenue of $21.20 billion versus $20.99 billion expected, though revenue still fell 1.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, implying an annualized yield of 6.5%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $111.87.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd decreased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 14.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,031,331 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 172,129 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd owned about 0.12% of United Parcel Service worth $102,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at approximately $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,609,000 after purchasing an additional 9,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 154.5% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $10,580,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on UPS. Evercore decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.87.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $100.74 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $85.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $102.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.21.

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. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.49 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given 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 yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

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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