FLC Capital Advisors Increases Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

FLC Capital Advisors increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 21.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,178 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 387 shares during the quarter. FLC Capital Advisors’ holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Maltin Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. Maltin Wealth Management Inc. now owns 18,466 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,903,000 after purchasing an additional 5,719 shares during the period. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. now owns 21,965 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,454,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $168,000. Jacobs & Co. CA raised its position in United Parcel Service by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 78,225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $12,299,000 after purchasing an additional 1,169 shares during the period. Finally, Courier Capital LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 19,354 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,043,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.5 %

UPS traded up $3.54 on Wednesday, hitting $147.33. 7,006,600 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,416,325. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.68 and a twelve month high of $197.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $125.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $150.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.62 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on UPS. Barclays reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. UBS Group raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.45.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service 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.