Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Invests $3.87 Million in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 24,640 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,874,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,586,000 after buying an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.6% during the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,058 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $944,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 42,132 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.4% during the third quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 7,789 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares during the period. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.3% during the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 11,954 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,863,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.83 during trading on Thursday, hitting $147.45. 3,553,246 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,351,563. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.68 and a 1 year high of $192.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.37, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.42%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.96.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.