Meeder Asset Management Inc. Purchases 9,268 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 79.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,898 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,268 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $113.19 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $122.41. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $106.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.24.

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. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.