Northern Trust Corp Raises Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,391,605 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 648,539 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.87% of United Parcel Service worth $932,081,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,583 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Altus Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,022 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.4 %

United Parcel Service stock traded down $1.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $95.38. The stock had a trading volume of 9,292,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,915,593. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.47 billion, a PE ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $107.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.55 and a fifty-two week high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.88%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $121.59.

United Parcel Service 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.