Choate Investment Advisors Acquires 16,576 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Choate Investment Advisors boosted its UPS stake by 604.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 16,576 additional shares and raising its total holdings to 19,320 shares worth about $1.92 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed but generally cautious: UPS has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.50, even as several firms recently lifted targets and upgraded ratings.
• UPS reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.07 versus estimates of $1.02 and revenue of $21.20 billion, and it announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, implying a 6.5% yield.

Choate Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 604.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,320 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 16,576 shares during the quarter. Choate Investment Advisors' holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,916,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Coston McIsaac & Partners raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 76.5% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 37.3% during the 3rd quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 456 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 144.3% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 408 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $101.12 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.06. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $100.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.84.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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