Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 14,836 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 863,030 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 14,836 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises approximately 1.4% of Merit Financial Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Merit Financial Group LLC owned approximately 0.10% of United Parcel Service worth $94,925,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $397,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,136 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded down $1.79 during trading on Thursday, hitting $96.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,573,587 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,146,022. The business has a fifty day moving average of $97.81 and a 200-day moving average of $114.49. The company has a market cap of $81.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.55 and a 52 week high of $148.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The business's revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.78%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 95.63%.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.