First National Advisers LLC Increases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

First National Advisers LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFS Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $116.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.38. The company has a market capitalization of $99.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 prior year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 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 Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.61%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

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.