Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC Takes $3.47 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 27,485 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,466,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $132.98 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $128.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.76. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $121.56 and a one year high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.24.

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.