Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Increases Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 44.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,829 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 17,155 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $7,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after buying an additional 1,901,914 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $147,242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,339 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.5 %

UPS stock opened at $135.68 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market cap of $115.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.97. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.12 and a 52 week high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.81%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Susquehanna increased 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. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.52.

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.