ABN Amro Investment Solutions Increases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its UPS stake by 30.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 13,369 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 56,634 shares worth about $5.62 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and large investors owning about 60.26% of United Parcel Service shares; several major firms, including Vanguard and State Street, also added to their positions recently.
• UPS reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.07 versus the $1.02 estimate and revenue of $21.20 billion versus expectations, while also announcing a $1.64 quarterly dividend yielding 6.7% annualized.

ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 30.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 56,634 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 13,369 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions' holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,794,160,000 after buying an additional 1,218,432 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,063,250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,594,713,000 after buying an additional 288,720 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 10.5% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $667,109,000 after buying an additional 761,217 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 17.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,724,265 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $561,678,000 after buying an additional 993,461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 10.6% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,072,282 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $423,746,000 after buying an additional 486,384 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.87.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of UPS opened at $98.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.06. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $100.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.73.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm's revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.15%.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service NYSE: UPS is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.

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