Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Acquires 10,419 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 24.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,864 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,419 shares during the quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,792,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $118.85 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $120.67 and a 200-day moving average of $127.25. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $101.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.09.

About United Parcel Service

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.