Generali Investments Management Co LLC Makes New Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 205 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UPS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 833.4% during 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 buying an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $397,329,000 after buying an additional 1,378,136 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,272,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,277,328 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W downgraded United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research raised 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $117.42 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.40 and a 1 year high of $158.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.18.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.59%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.