Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. Sells 884 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. cut its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 17,343 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 884 shares during the period. United Parcel Service makes up 1.1% of Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 69.5% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 239 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Argus downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $147.59. 2,607,558 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,897,331. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $192.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.96.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 94.49%.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.