Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich Has $408,000 Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,238 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $442,000. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 5,314 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $670,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,946 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 13,518 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Financial Group grew its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 28,059 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,538,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $114.49 on Wednesday. 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’s fifty day moving average is $125.55 and its 200 day moving average is $129.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.73%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

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.