Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Purchases 80,290 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 57.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 220,698 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 80,290 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $27,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $98.00 price target (down previously from $120.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird cut shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $120.87.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $95.92 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $90.55 and a one year high of $153.42. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $104.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.84%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

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.