Signature Wealth Management Group Raises Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Signature Wealth Management Group boosted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,197 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 995 shares during the period. Signature Wealth Management Group’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,303,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $397,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,136 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,272,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277,328 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of UPS stock opened at $116.90 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $99.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.38.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.61%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.