United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Bought by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 83,474 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,638 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners grew its position in United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings cut United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.85.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of UPS stock traded up $1.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $111.19. 354,700 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,040,592. The company has a market capitalization of $94.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.00 and a fifty-two week high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.15%.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.