United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Position Boosted by Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 123,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 7,080 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises 2.3% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $15,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gleason Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE UPS opened at $117.42 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year 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. The company has a market capitalization of $100.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.18.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.59%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Loop Capital cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Baird R W downgraded United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

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.