Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC Buys New Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 300 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 16,741 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares during the last quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. now owns 28,416 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,583,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,442 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,326,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bonness Enterprises Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Bonness Enterprises Inc. now owns 21,150 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,667,000 after acquiring an additional 4,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $132.96 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $121.56 and a 52-week high of $161.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $128.92 and a 200-day moving average of $130.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.