Bailard Inc. Raises Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Bailard Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,421 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,525 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $9,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 31.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,508,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,331,875 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,456,055,000 after purchasing an additional 628,944 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 36.4% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,026,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $315,832,000 after buying an additional 541,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 28.0% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,433,087 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $379,245,000 after buying an additional 532,934 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:UPS traded down $2.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $146.61. The company had a trading volume of 5,284,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,361,663. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $133.68 and a 12-month high of $192.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.45%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.09.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company 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.