Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,037,626 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 271,646 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $495,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $902,446,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 72.9% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,370,639,000 after purchasing an additional 5,826,824 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 175.7% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,200,135 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $515,801,000 after purchasing an additional 3,314,166 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 507.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,244,234 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $321,796,000 after buying an additional 2,710,470 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $181,951,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 3.8%

NYSE:UPS opened at $113.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $106.94 and a 200 day moving average of $106.24.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 106.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Stephens upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.