Bell Bank Buys 6,424 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Bell Bank increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 9.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 74,230 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 6,424 shares during the period. Bell Bank's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,979,695,000 after acquiring an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $99.36. 11,093,107 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,201,361. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The business's 50-day moving average is $97.72 and its 200-day moving average is $111.86. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $84.14 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating 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. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.60%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 95.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $98.00 price objective (down from $120.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $120.26.

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.