Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC Has $3.18 Million Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,193 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 763 shares during the quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,177,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 27.2% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.32.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 8.4 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $99.65 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.44. The company has a market cap of $85.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.55 and a 52-week high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost 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 6.58%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.