Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,868 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 950 shares during the period. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,919,945 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $367,300,000 after buying an additional 685,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after buying an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $118.97 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $122.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.10. The company has a market cap of $101.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. 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 posted 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 return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.51%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

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.