Equity Investment Corp Has $152.92 Million Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Equity Investment Corp increased its UPS holdings by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing its stake to 1.54 million shares worth about $152.9 million. UPS now ranks as the fund’s fifth-largest holding.
• UPS posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share on revenue of $21.20 billion, beating analyst estimates on both metrics. However, revenue was still down 1.4% year over year.
• The company continues to pay a hefty dividend, with a recent quarterly payout of $1.64 per share that annualizes to a 6.0% yield. Analysts currently have a mixed view overall, with the stock carrying an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $111.50.

Equity Investment Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,541,675 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 41,847 shares during the period. United Parcel Service makes up 3.1% of Equity Investment Corp's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Equity Investment Corp owned 0.18% of United Parcel Service worth $152,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $902,446,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 507.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,244,234 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $321,796,000 after purchasing an additional 2,710,470 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $181,951,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,794,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218,432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 94.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,300,081 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $231,388,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119,372 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $108.65 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $103.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.03. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $92.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, 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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