Evoke Wealth LLC Purchases 491 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 25.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,399 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $303,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $117.42 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.18. The company has a market capitalization of $100.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.59%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

United Parcel Service Company 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.