Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $4.85 Million Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its UPS stake by 93.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 660,939 shares and leaving it with 48,825 shares valued at about $4.85 million.
• UPS reported Q1 earnings of $1.07 per share, beating expectations, and revenue of $21.20 billion, though sales were still down 1.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 6.7%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $111.87.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 93.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,825 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 660,939 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Westbourne Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Peoples Financial Services CORP. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Argyle Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 27,505 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,728,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE UPS opened at $98.27 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $100.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.00 and a fifty-two week high of $122.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.90, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.06.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Weiss Ratings cut United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Evercore lowered their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.87.

About United Parcel Service

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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