Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires Shares of 17,317 United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 17,317 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,905,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $1,075,393,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $145,846,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,463,930 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $815,102,000 after buying an additional 1,064,293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 316.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,122,886 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $141,581,000 after buying an additional 853,388 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $103.59. 5,471,470 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,516,731. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $99.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $145.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $118.22.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.