NorthRock Partners LLC Boosts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

NorthRock Partners LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 213.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,470 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,498 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in 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 worth $8,213,699,000 after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in 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. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $0.85 during trading on Friday, reaching $101.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,309,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,080,843. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $149.71. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $102.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.44 billion, a PE ratio of 14.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 95.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UPS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. HSBC lowered United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on 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 cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $120.26.

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.