United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Position Raised by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 62,421 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 9,525 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $9,814,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 69.5% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 239 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.09.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of UPS stock traded down $2.26 on Wednesday, reaching $146.61. 5,284,210 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,361,663. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $133.68 and a 12-month high of $192.98. The company has a market capitalization of $125.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $149.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.03.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.45%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

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.