Franklin Resources Inc. Has $1.28 Billion Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 9.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,495,457 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,024,679 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.11% of United Parcel Service worth $1,277,804,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $362,000. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $270,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,109 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 22,679 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,104,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 92,728 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,666,000 after buying an additional 2,117 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $128.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $110.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $132.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.85. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.05%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.