First PREMIER Bank Buys 1,153 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

First PREMIER Bank increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 128.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,053 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Finley Financial LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $335,000. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,658 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 1,999 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 4,066 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 2,430 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Finally, Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 70.7% during the 4th quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,995 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 3,311 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. Citigroup lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.38.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE UPS opened at $132.59 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.82. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.56 and a 12 month high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.