Brandes Investment Partners LP Makes New Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Brandes Investment Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 6,705 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $846,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $116.90 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $120.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.85 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.61%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

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.