United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 34.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,129 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,118 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,213,699,000 after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after buying an additional 414,710 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE UPS opened at $99.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $83.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.22. The company's fifty day moving average price is $97.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $148.15.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $120.26.

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.

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