Xponance Inc. Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 128,294 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,524 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $20,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,255,623,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 105,818.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,215,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $732,833,000 after purchasing an additional 4,211,580 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,508,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,331,875 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,730,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,343,799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949,775 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:UPS traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $142.74. 3,290,533 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,307,719. The company’s 50 day moving average is $149.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.34. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.68 and a twelve month high of $197.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $121.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.62 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.57%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UPS. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $153.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

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.