Rakuten Securities Inc. Takes $85,000 Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 539 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aspire Private Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the first quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 18,392 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,568,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $999,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $142.25 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $149.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $133.68 and a 12-month high of $197.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during 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%. The business’s revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.62 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.58%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Raymond James reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

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.