United Asset Strategies Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its UPS stake by 244.8% in the first quarter, adding 36,094 shares to bring its total holding to 50,837 shares worth about $5.0 million.
• UPS reported Q1 earnings of $1.07 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in at $21.20 billion, slightly above forecasts but down 1.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: UPS has a consensus Hold rating with a $110.85 average price target, even after some firms raised targets and others trimmed them; the stock recently traded at $111.60.

United Asset Strategies Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 244.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,837 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 36,094 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup lifted their target price 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. Susquehanna boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $110.85.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded up $1.58 on Tuesday, hitting $111.60. 759,767 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,043,671. The firm has a market cap of $94.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.08, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is 106.15%.

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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