Viking Fund Management LLC Acquires 17,000 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Viking Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 42.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,000 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,000 shares during the quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after acquiring an additional 370,705 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded down $1.79 during trading on Thursday, reaching $96.76. 4,574,892 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,256,408. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.55 and a 52 week high of $148.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The company's 50 day moving average is $97.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.49.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 95.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $98.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.