United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stake Increased by Spinnaker Trust

Spinnaker Trust boosted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 48,479 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,650 shares during the period. Spinnaker Trust’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $7,622,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dfpg Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 25,270 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,981,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $147.53. 2,607,301 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,330,030. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $125.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $150.96. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $192.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.21 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.42%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Raymond James decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company 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.