United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Sentinus LLC

Sentinus LLC lessened its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 59.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,992 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 5,751 shares during the period. Sentinus LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $397,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.8%

United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.85 during trading on Friday, reaching $101.20. The company had a trading volume of 6,309,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,093,390. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $149.57. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $102.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.48%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.63%.

About United Parcel Service

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.