Rafferty Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 16.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,867 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $10,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $461,000. HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $1,305,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 27.2% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 34,113 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 10,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bonness Enterprises Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Bonness Enterprises Inc. now owns 21,150 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,667,000 after purchasing an additional 4,100 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Raymond James cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock traded down $2.29 on Monday, hitting $99.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,213,839 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,097,884. The stock has a market cap of $84.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $102.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.49. 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 1 year low of $90.55 and a 1 year high of $149.57.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.62%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.63%.

United Parcel Service Company 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.