Voleon Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 12,608 United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 12,608 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,590,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $397,329,000 after buying an additional 1,378,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.8 %

United Parcel Service stock traded up $1.73 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $96.33. 5,686,037 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,948,831. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $153.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $82.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $106.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.26.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.81%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of 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. HSBC cut 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 report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $120.87.

About United Parcel Service

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.