National Pension Service Boosts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,075,810 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 159,838 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.24% of United Parcel Service worth $205,900,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Shrier Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,099,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $667,109,000 after purchasing an additional 761,217 shares during the period. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 192.7% during the fourth quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 19,734 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,957,000 after purchasing an additional 12,993 shares during the period. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth approximately $6,868,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 5.1% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,470,790 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $122,855,000 after purchasing an additional 71,764 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UPS. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $106.85 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $122.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $101.02 and a 200-day moving average of $103.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.15%.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.