Headlands Technologies LLC Makes New Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,968 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $248,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after buying an additional 414,710 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 33.7% in the 4th quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 17,722 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,235,000 after acquiring an additional 4,462 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Family Legacy Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 3,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Research & Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Boston Research & Management Inc. now owns 40,759 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $97.62 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $115.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $125.64. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.57 and a 52-week high of $153.42. 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 $83.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 previous year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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. Evercore ISI increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.18.

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.