Townsquare Capital LLC Buys 5,444 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 82,858 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,444 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $11,297,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after buying an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $147,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $135.69 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.12 and a 1-year high of $163.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $133.34 and its 200 day moving average is $133.96. The company has a market cap of $115.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

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.