Fifth Third Bancorp Grows Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 550.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 204,274 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 172,887 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $20,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Shrier Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,099,000. LFG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $1,207,000. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 49.4% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 297,357 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,495,000 after buying an additional 98,309 shares during the last quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 937.9% in the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 245,564 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $24,358,000 after buying an additional 221,905 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,541,742 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $450,495,000 after buying an additional 65,652 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $112.74 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $105.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41. The company has a market cap of $95.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Stephens upgraded United Parcel Service to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.10.

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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