D.A. Davidson & CO. Boosts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 214,533 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,054 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $27,053,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 821,821 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $103,632,000 after acquiring an additional 16,850 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 137,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $17,337,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 114,130 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,114,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 22,298 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,812,000 after acquiring an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,006,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $116.37 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

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.