Americana Partners LLC Purchases 1,106 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Americana Partners LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,403 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,106 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $116.37 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $99.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $124.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.77.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

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.