Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Grows Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 77.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,653 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,592 shares during the quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RB Capital Management LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 3.1% during the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,162,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 10.0% during the first quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $515,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $701,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $153.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. Finally, TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.4 %

UPS traded up $0.64 on Friday, hitting $143.38. 1,620,328 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,272,988. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $122.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $149.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.28. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.68 and a twelve month high of $197.80.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service 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.