United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 20,459 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,150 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,789,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Natixis purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Financial Partners Group LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after purchasing an additional 5,069 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 12.3% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,853,000 after purchasing an additional 6,502 shares during the period. Finally, Nvwm LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of UPS opened at $133.79 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.72. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.12 and a twelve month high of $163.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.41 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Baird R W raised United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup began coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.71.

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.