AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $754,000 Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 5,982 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $754,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James reduced their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.57.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $111.05 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $118.92 and a 200-day moving average of $126.58. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $154.29. The company has a market capitalization of $94.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.91%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

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.