United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Bought by Equity Investment Corp

Equity Investment Corp increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 290,542 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,817 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $45,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Gleason Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Dfpg Investments LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 25,270 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,981,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. TD Cowen cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued 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 $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded down $0.42 during trading on Friday, reaching $149.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,956,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,278,112. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $133.68 and a 1-year high of $192.98. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $127.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.37%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

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.