American Century Companies Inc. Has $499.23 Million Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,959,004 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 74,844 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $499,230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.9% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 14,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 337,580 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,026,000 after purchasing an additional 9,250 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 130,482 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $17,281,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. Finally, Lathrop Investment Management Corp grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the third quarter. Lathrop Investment Management Corp now owns 56,384 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,687,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. 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 price objective on 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $115.25 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last issued 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 return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.69%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio 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.