Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Purchases 22,476 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,008,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,476 shares during the period. United Parcel Service makes up about 1.6% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.12% of United Parcel Service worth $100,054,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,794,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,218,432 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,092,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,183,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,377 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,142,759 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,692,290,000 after purchasing an additional 856,125 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,154,091 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,703,291,000 after acquiring an additional 240,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 72.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,370,639,000 after acquiring an additional 5,826,824 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $110.15 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $93.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $103.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.33. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.50.

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.