Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $79.51 Million Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 630,518 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,201 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $79,508,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. Susquehanna reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $115.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $121.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.47. The stock has a market cap of $98.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.70%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

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.