Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Raises Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,777,479 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 24,779 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $224,140,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 lifted 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.2 %

UPS opened at $113.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $96.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95. The business’s fifty day moving average is $126.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.46.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 96.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.