Arizona State Retirement System Raises Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 214,637 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,247 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $23,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. HSBC downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $119.13.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $101.29 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $148.15. The stock has a market cap of $85.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.77, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.21. The company's 50 day moving average is $99.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 95.63%.

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.

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