Swedbank AB Increases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Swedbank AB increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 280,509 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,675 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $38,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,496 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $889,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,167,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.0 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $137.53 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $117.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.12 and a 12 month high of $163.82. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.74%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.