LS Investment Advisors LLC Buys 145 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

LS Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,740 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after buying an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares in the last quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $160,787,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $147,242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $134.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82. The firm has a market cap of $114.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average is $131.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.39.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.86%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.71.

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.