Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 240,253 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its UPS stake by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 240,253 shares and bringing its total holding to 17.15 million shares worth about $1.7 billion.
• Several other hedge funds also adjusted their UPS positions, and institutional investors now own 60.26% of the company.
• UPS reported quarterly EPS of $1.07, topping estimates, while revenue came in at $21.20 billion; the company also declared a $1.64 quarterly dividend, equal to a 6.2% annualized yield.

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,154,091 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 240,253 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.02% of United Parcel Service worth $1,703,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Coston McIsaac & Partners raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% in the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 76.5% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 37.3% in 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 period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 144.3% in 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 period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group lowered 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 report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.1%

United Parcel Service stock opened at $106.65 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.06. 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 50 day simple moving average of $100.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. United Parcel Service's revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 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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