Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Buys 1,480 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 329,362 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $41,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 8.4 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $99.65 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $153.42. The company has a market capitalization of $85.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $112.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.44.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. Loop Capital decreased their target price 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. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.32.

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.