Ted Buchan & Co Takes Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ted Buchan & Co bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 7,707 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $972,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during 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. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $397,329,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on UPS. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.18.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $97.62 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $115.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business posted $2.47 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.72%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

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.