Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Has $15.18 Million Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Wilkins Investment Counsel trimmed its stake in United Parcel Service by 9.1% in Q4, selling 15,357 shares and ending the period with 153,078 shares valued at about $15.18 million, equal to 2.2% of its portfolio and its 20th-largest holding.
• Large institutions including Vanguard, State Street and Invesco have been adding to UPS, leaving 60.26% of the stock owned by institutional investors; analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $112.08 (1 Strong Buy, 9 Buy, 12 Hold, 3 Sell).
• UPS recently beat quarterly estimates with $1.07 EPS vs. $1.02 expected and revenue of $21.20B (down 1.4% YoY); the shares trade around a $91.4B market cap and a 17.4x P/E.

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 9.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 153,078 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 15,357 shares during the period. United Parcel Service accounts for 2.2% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $15,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,794,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218,432 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,063,250 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,594,713,000 after purchasing an additional 288,720 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $667,109,000 after purchasing an additional 761,217 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,724,265 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $561,678,000 after purchasing an additional 993,461 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,072,282 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $423,746,000 after purchasing an additional 486,384 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.08.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $107.60 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $91.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.41, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $103.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.79. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month 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.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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