Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,743,860 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 89,856 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $371,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,609,000 after acquiring an additional 9,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 154.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,580,000 after acquiring an additional 63,629 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting United Parcel Service

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UPS shares have been boosted by a broader bullish take on the stock after the Fed’s rate-cut pivot, with some investors viewing UPS as an attractive cyclical income play with a high dividend yield. A Dramatic Fed Pivot Just Unlocked a New Era of Growth for UPS
• Positive Sentiment: UPS-owned Roadie announced a same-day delivery partnership with Omaha Steaks ahead of Father’s Day, highlighting growth in its last-mile and same-day delivery services. From Cart to Cookout: Omaha Steaks and Roadie Power Same-Day Delivery for Father’s Day
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS was also the subject of valuation and stock-performance commentary, with some analysts questioning whether the recent pullback created a better long-term entry point rather than pointing to a new fundamental problem. Is It Time To Reconsider UPS (NYSE:UPS) After Recent Share Price Weakness?
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS met its deadline for retrofitting delivery vans with air conditioning, easing one labor-related pressure point after Teamsters scrutiny, though the issue also underscores ongoing union oversight. UPS meets deadline for retrofitting delivery vans with air conditioning
• Negative Sentiment: Separate UK news about a parcel delivery firm “evaluating options” for a depot closure and 3,000 jobs at risk adds to concerns about softness or restructuring pressures in the parcel-delivery industry, which could weigh on sentiment toward UPS. Massive parcel delivery firm could shut UK depot as it ‘evaluates options’ – with 3,000 jobs at risk
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary still frames UPS as a large-cap stock with limited growth runway, and recent coverage has also highlighted weakness in the shares over the past week. 3 Large-Cap Stocks That Concern Us

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Susquehanna increased their target price 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. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group lowered their target price 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $107.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $103.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.06. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.15%.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.