MCIA Inc Has $2.08 Million Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

MCIA Inc lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS – Get Rating) by 45.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 3,620 shares during the period. MCIA Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,078,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.1% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 51,249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,355,000 after buying an additional 5,128 shares during the last quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.0% during the third quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 5,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Sawtooth Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.1% during the third quarter. Sawtooth Solutions LLC now owns 10,087 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,629,000 after buying an additional 1,086 shares during the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth approximately $1,132,000. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 13.5% during the third quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 13,832 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,226,000 after buying an additional 1,650 shares during the last quarter. 58.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $181.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $197.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Monday, November 28th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, UBS Group set a $196.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $193.54.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6 %

UPS traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $186.79. 20,535,902 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,207,876. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.87 and a 1-year high of $223.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $183.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.42. The stock has a market cap of $160.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.15, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 31st. The transportation company reported $3.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.59 by $0.03. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 66.10%. The business had revenue of $27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 11.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 17th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.09%.

United Parcel Service announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 31st that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to buy up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Laura J. Lane sold 14,617 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.16, for a total transaction of $2,604,164.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other United Parcel Service news, insider Laura J. Lane sold 14,617 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.16, for a total value of $2,604,164.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 20,724 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.26, for a total transaction of $3,777,156.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,341 shares of company stock worth $9,848,061. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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United Parcel Service, Inc is a package delivery company, which engages in the provision of global supply chain management solutions. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Domestic Package, International Package, and Supply Chain Solutions. The U.S. Domestic Package segment includes time-definite delivery of letters, documents, and packages.