United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by Independence Bank of Kentucky

Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,047 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 788 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Raymond James cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Bank of America lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.95.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $114.19 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $128.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $97.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.62 and a 1-year high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

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.