Employees Retirement System of Texas Acquires 25,518 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Employees Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 75.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 59,462 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,518 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,898,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coston McIsaac & Partners grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 76.5% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 37.3% during the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 456 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 144.3% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 408 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on UPS. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $104.43 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.00 and a fifty-two week high of $122.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.06. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.49 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

About United Parcel Service

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.