Clough Capital Partners L P Invests $23.47 Million in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Clough Capital Partners L P purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 238,535 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,467,000. United Parcel Service accounts for 2.3% of Clough Capital Partners L P’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,609,000 after purchasing an additional 9,124 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 154.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,580,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares during the period. 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 company. Citizens Jmp began coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Evercore decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $114.60 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The company has a market capitalization of $97.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $108.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.66.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

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.