United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by PDS Planning Inc

PDS Planning Inc boosted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,583 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of UPS opened at $118.13 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $100.91 billion, a PE ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $120.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.32. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.95. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share 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 last year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.55%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price for the company. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

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.