Kentucky Trust Co Purchases New Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,503 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $442,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 39.7% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 108,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,793,000 after buying an additional 30,815 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2,441.5% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,641 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 8,301 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,163 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $568,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,390 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $12,972,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $114.49 on Wednesday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $125.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $129.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 last year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders 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 5.73%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.