Nwam LLC Raises Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Nwam LLC increased its UPS stake by 86.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 51,562 shares to bring its total to 111,122 shares valued at about $11.9 million.
• UPS reported Q1 earnings of $1.07 per share, topping estimates, while revenue came in at $21.20 billion; however, sales were still down 1.4% from a year earlier.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 6.5%, though its payout ratio is elevated at 106.15%.

Nwam LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 86.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 111,122 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 51,562 shares during the period. Nwam LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $11,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $181,951,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 4th 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. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 94.8% in the 2nd 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. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,724,265 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $561,678,000 after buying an additional 993,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $667,109,000 after buying an additional 761,217 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:UPS opened at $100.74 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $102.47 and a 200 day moving average of $102.21. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.06.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS 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 company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane cut shares of United Parcel Service from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.87.

United Parcel Service 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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