Carson Advisory Inc. Grows Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Carson Advisory Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,975 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises approximately 1.1% of Carson Advisory Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Carson Advisory Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MWA Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,125,000. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 387,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,908,000 after buying an additional 44,721 shares in the last quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 58,184 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,148,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,587,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.23.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $1.30 on Thursday, hitting $147.22. The company had a trading volume of 2,038,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,243,198. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $192.98. The business has a 50 day moving average of $149.49 and a 200 day moving average of $150.76. The company has a market cap of $125.53 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.49%.

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.