The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Grows Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 130.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,303,804 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 737,858 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.15% of United Parcel Service worth $131,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 110.1% in the second quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen raised United Parcel Service from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Stephens upgraded United Parcel Service to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.00.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $100.46 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $136.99. The company has a market cap of $85.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $92.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.67.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $21.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.94 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 40.07% and a net margin of 6.15%.The firm’s revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 101.39%.

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.