Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Acquires 23,136 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 165,042 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 23,136 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $20,812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $97.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $83.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.57 and a 12 month high of $153.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $115.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.60.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.72%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UPS. Wolfe Research raised United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.18.

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.