United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Holdings Lifted by Global Retirement Partners LLC

Key Points

• Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its UPS stake by 146.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 11,693 additional shares and bringing its total position to 19,690 shares worth about $1.95 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed, with analysts holding a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.50, even as some firms raised targets and HSBC upgraded UPS to “buy.”
• UPS reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share on revenue of $21.20 billion, and the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, implying a 6.5% annual yield.

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 146.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,690 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,693 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth about $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,609,000 after acquiring an additional 9,124 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 154.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $10,580,000 after acquiring an additional 63,629 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Evercore reduced their price target on shares of 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.9%

UPS stock opened at $101.12 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $122.41. The firm has a market cap of $85.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $102.72. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business 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 earned $1.49 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

About United Parcel Service

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UPS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.