Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC Invests $206,000 in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,636 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UPS. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $118.97 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.07. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.51%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 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.