Handelsbanken Fonder AB Purchases 40,536 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its UPS stake by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 40,536 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 404,185 shares valued at about $40.1 million.
• Institutional interest in UPS remains broad, with several other investors also boosting positions, and 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutions.
• UPS reported quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in at $21.20 billion; the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, equal to a 6.8% yield.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 404,185 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 40,536 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $40,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.87.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $96.79 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $82.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $100.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.70.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.15%.

United Parcel Service Company 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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