Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 370,705 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of United Parcel Service worth $8,213,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Baird R W cut United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of UPS opened at $115.25 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $157.99. The company has a market cap of $98.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.00.

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 the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

About United Parcel Service

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.