Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. Purchases 4,795 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 107,406 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 4,795 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises 1.8% of Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $13,544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gleason Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Baird R W lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned 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 price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $116.90 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $120.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.38. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95. 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 market cap of $99.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share 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 period last year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio 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.