Blue Trust Inc. Buys 6,250 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 71.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,011 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,250 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during 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 during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $116.37 on Friday. 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 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 $99.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.78.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share 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 in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’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 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 approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.