Auto Owners Insurance Co Boosts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 9,819.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,220,037 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,207,737 shares during the quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co owned approximately 0.14% of United Parcel Service worth $122,004,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,794,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218,432 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,092,627 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,183,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,377 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,142,759 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,692,290,000 after purchasing an additional 856,125 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,154,091 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,703,291,000 after buying an additional 240,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 72.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,370,639,000 after buying an additional 5,826,824 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $105.29 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $104.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.47. The stock has a market cap of $89.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $122.41.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Evercore cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Profile

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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