Zacks Investment Management Increases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Zacks Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194,574 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,737 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $26,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,035,313,000 after acquiring an additional 613,409 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,448,960,000 after buying an additional 380,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $888,254,000 after buying an additional 20,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.52.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $125.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.12 and a twelve month high of $163.82. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $133.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $133.11. The company has a market cap of $107.19 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.