US Asset Management LLC Makes New $353,000 Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

US Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,245 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $353,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,456,055,000 after purchasing an additional 628,944 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after buying an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,508,385,000 after acquiring an additional 2,331,875 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,411,989 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,311,177,000 after purchasing an additional 31,533 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 28.0% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,433,087 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $379,245,000 after purchasing an additional 532,934 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $148.07. The company had a trading volume of 2,509,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,149,974. The company has a market capitalization of $126.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $133.68 and a 12-month high of $192.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $150.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. UBS Group raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. Bank of America lifted 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, April 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.