The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Increases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 606,895 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 20,160 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $76,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $107,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. Shorepoint Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 82.5% during the 4th quarter. Shorepoint Capital Partners LLC now owns 19,222 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,424,000 after buying an additional 8,690 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 145.3% in the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 114,807 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,477,000 after buying an additional 68,007 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $96.74 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.55 and a 1 year high of $153.42. The company has a market cap of $82.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $107.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.97.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The business had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.41.

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.