United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by Opinicus Capital Inc.

Opinicus Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,912 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 610 shares during the quarter. Opinicus Capital Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $147,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,339 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

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

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $113.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $96.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $126.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $129.46.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (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 period in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 96.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Argus raised 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 given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

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.