Argyle Capital Management Inc. Sells 4,050 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Argyle Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 14.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,428 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 4,050 shares during the period. United Parcel Service accounts for approximately 1.5% of Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Argyle Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1 %

UPS stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $147.59. 2,607,558 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,897,331. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.68 and a 1 year high of $192.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.90.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.42%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

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.