Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. Purchases New Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,007 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth approximately $258,000. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $765,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 48,640 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,648,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,403,000 after purchasing an additional 4,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 56,380 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,865,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE UPS traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $147.77. The company had a trading volume of 2,799,596 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,164,817. 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 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $149.35 and its 200-day moving average is $150.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.41%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Susquehanna upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

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.