Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Has $137.18 Million Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC cut its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 872,489 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 740 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service accounts for 5.3% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $137,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 69.5% in the third 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 period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded down $0.79 on Friday, hitting $146.43. 2,039,256 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,606,672. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $150.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $124.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $133.68 and a 52 week high of $192.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.45%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.