Sentry Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 59.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 951 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,372 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $130,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 74,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,635,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 128.2% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,028 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 1,701 shares during the last quarter. Apexium Financial LP purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $264,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $909,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on UPS. Susquehanna lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.1 %

UPS stock opened at $128.42 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.12 and a 1-year high of $163.82. The stock has a market cap of $109.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company’s 50 day moving average is $131.06 and its 200 day moving average is $140.13.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The company had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.54 EPS. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.08%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.