Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Acquires 1,320 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,320 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,305,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of UPS opened at $114.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $97.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.40 and a 1 year high of $158.95. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.73%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

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.