Handelsbanken Fonder AB Buys 755 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 261,220 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 755 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $41,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RB Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $577,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,162,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $515,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $701,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $142.77 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $197.80. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion during 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%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.57%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. HSBC reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Argus lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $153.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.