SageOak Financial LLC Acquires New Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

SageOak Financial LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,522 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. IFS Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $118.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.40 and a 1 year high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on 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. Bank of America cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service 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.