Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Buys 54,568 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd more than doubled its UPS stake in the first quarter, buying 54,568 additional shares to bring its total holdings to 102,890 shares worth about $10.1 million.
• UPS reported quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share, topping analyst expectations, while revenue came in at $21.2 billion, slightly above estimates but down 1.4% year over year.
• The company continues to pay a hefty dividend, with a quarterly payout of $1.64 per share and an annualized yield of about 5.9%; analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 112.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 102,890 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 54,568 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $10,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,794,160,000 after buying an additional 1,218,432 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,092,627 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,183,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,377 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,142,759 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,692,290,000 after acquiring an additional 856,125 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,154,091 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,703,291,000 after acquiring an additional 240,253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 72.9% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,370,639,000 after acquiring an additional 5,826,824 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $110.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company's fifty day moving average price is $104.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. UBS Group cut their price target 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, April 29th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered United Parcel Service from a "hold (c)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $110.85.

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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