United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stake Raised by Maltin Wealth Management Inc.

Maltin Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 44.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,466 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,719 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises about 1.8% of Maltin Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Maltin Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $1,255,623,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 105,818.6% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,215,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $732,833,000 after buying an additional 4,211,580 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in United Parcel Service by 31.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,508,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,331,875 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in United Parcel Service by 33.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,730,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,343,799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 19,991.7% in the first quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,905,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,822,000 after purchasing an additional 1,896,016 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $153.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS traded up $3.54 on Wednesday, reaching $147.33. 7,006,600 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,416,325. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $125.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $133.68 and a 52 week high of $197.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $152.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.62 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.43%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

United Parcel Service 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.