AGP Franklin LLC Makes New $1.80 Million Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

AGP Franklin LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 14,268 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,799,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,213,699,000 after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,373,964,000 after acquiring an additional 268,278 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $98.46 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $84.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $153.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $111.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.66.

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 in the prior year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.66%. This is an increase 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on 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, Citigroup cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $131.32.

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.