Slagle Financial LLC Purchases 668 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Slagle Financial LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,913 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the period. Slagle Financial LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacific Sage Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 period. Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver Consulting Group boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.0% during the third quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 3,053 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock opened at $111.05 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $118.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.58. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $154.29. The firm has a market cap of $94.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.91%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.57.

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.