Banco Santander S.A. Buys 1,599 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,195 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,599 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,790,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 22.4% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 335,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $45,716,000 after buying an additional 61,360 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth $54,000. Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 176.9% during the third quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,948 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 5.9% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,932 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 80,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,028,000 after purchasing an additional 5,068 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $121.59 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $103.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.40%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on UPS. Susquehanna cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.00.

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.