Oakworth Capital Inc. Purchases 404 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,236 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. RB Capital Management LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.1% during the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $577,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $1,162,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 10.0% during the first quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $515,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $701,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.3 %

UPS stock traded down $0.39 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $142.50. The company had a trading volume of 3,053,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,304,771. The business has a 50-day moving average of $149.75 and a 200-day moving average of $151.40. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $197.80. The stock has a market cap of $121.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.62 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.58%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought 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 directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

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.