MUFG Securities EMEA plc Raises Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its UPS stake by 115% in the fourth quarter, holding 30,295 shares valued at about $3.0 million.
• UPS has seen broader institutional interest, with major investors like Norges Bank, Pacer Advisors, and Vanguard also increasing or initiating positions; institutions now own 60.26% of the company.
• Analysts remain mixed on UPS: the stock has a consensus Hold rating with an average target price of $111.50, while the shares recently traded at $109.01 after reporting better-than-expected quarterly EPS and revenue.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 115.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,295 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 16,207 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $902,446,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 507.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,244,234 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $321,796,000 after buying an additional 2,710,470 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $181,951,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,794,160,000 after buying an additional 1,218,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 94.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,300,081 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $231,388,000 after buying an additional 1,119,372 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore lowered their price objective on 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Susquehanna raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $109.01 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $101.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.25. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 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.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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