Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Purchases 12,658 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 411,966 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,658 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $40,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on UPS shares. Evercore dropped their target price 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. UBS Group decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Susquehanna increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.85.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.6%

UPS opened at $107.38 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $104.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.07. The firm has a market cap of $91.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 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.