Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC Acquires 12,121 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 85.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,370 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,121 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 100.0% during the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $153.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of UPS stock traded up $0.20 on Friday, reaching $142.94. 1,136,881 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,266,070. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $197.80. The stock has a market cap of $121.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $149.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.62 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.56%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.