Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Purchases 14,286 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its UPS stake by 74.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 14,286 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 33,468 shares worth about $3.32 million.
• Other major institutions also added to UPS positions, and institutional investors now own 60.26% of the company’s stock, signaling continued professional interest in the name.
• UPS reported quarterly EPS of $1.07, beating expectations, while revenue came in at $21.20 billion; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, implying a 6.6% annual yield.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 74.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,468 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 14,286 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,794,160,000 after buying an additional 1,218,432 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,063,250 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,594,713,000 after buying an additional 288,720 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $667,109,000 after buying an additional 761,217 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,724,265 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $561,678,000 after buying an additional 993,461 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,072,282 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $423,746,000 after buying an additional 486,384 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on UPS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.87.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $98.84 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The firm has a market cap of $84.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $100.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. United Parcel Service's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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