ProShare Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 138,743 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,407 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $13,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth approximately $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth approximately $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,609,000 after buying an additional 9,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 154.5% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,580,000 after acquiring an additional 63,629 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.87.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $98.84 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $100.39 and its 200 day moving average is $102.72.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 106.15%.

United Parcel Service 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.