Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 4,488 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 102,726 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,488 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $12,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,777,479 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $224,140,000 after buying an additional 24,779 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,358,000. Ledyard National Bank lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 2,581 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Leo Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 55.9% in the 4th quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 4,995 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $630,000 after purchasing an additional 1,791 shares during the period. Finally, Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 239.7% during the 4th quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp now owns 8,197 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 5,784 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company 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 dropped their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective 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. Raymond James dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $113.20 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $96.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $126.40 and its 200 day moving average is $129.46.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 96.45%.

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.