United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Bought by Alps Advisors Inc.

Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 248,258 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,181 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $27,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 525.0% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $98.00 price objective (down from $120.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.13.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.6%

UPS stock traded down $1.63 on Friday, hitting $101.29. 4,337,400 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,257,434. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.55 and a twelve month high of $148.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business's fifty day moving average is $99.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. United Parcel Service's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

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.