Swedbank AB Purchases 17,579 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 298,088 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 17,579 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $37,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $897,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Tradewinds LLC. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 7,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $979,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 14.1 %

NYSE UPS opened at $114.94 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.62 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $130.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $98.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.67%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service 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.