West Family Investments Inc. Makes New Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

West Family Investments Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,224 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.9 %

UPS stock opened at $121.59 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $121.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.78. 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 company has a market capitalization of $103.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its 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 prior year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.00.

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.