Zions Bancorporation N.A. Purchases 1,246 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 27,705 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,494,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Swedbank AB raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 280,509 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,245,000 after purchasing an additional 7,675 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 73.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 7,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 3,100 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.9% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 5,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $808,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.2% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 91,262 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,443,000 after buying an additional 9,898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.0% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 124,070 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,916,000 after acquiring an additional 5,956 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UPS. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $115.88 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $119.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.92. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $157.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.66%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

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.