InvesTrust Buys Shares of 38,565 United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

InvesTrust purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 38,565 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,856,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. State Street Corp lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after buying an additional 613,409 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,080,170,000 after purchasing an additional 373,202 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,448,960,000 after purchasing an additional 380,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $1.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $126.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,354,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,507,242. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.01 and a fifty-two week high of $161.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.40.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.16%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

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.