Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC Acquires New Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 18,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,537,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 20.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,654,004 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $305,219,000 after purchasing an additional 619,716 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,936,339 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $161,742,000 after purchasing an additional 7,067 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,212,625 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,881,000 after purchasing an additional 95,454 shares during the period. Pinkerton Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 34.5% in the third quarter. Pinkerton Wealth LLC now owns 54,339 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,539,000 after buying an additional 13,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.4% in the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 19,182 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,602,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of UPS opened at $100.92 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $110.11 and its 200 day moving average is $97.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41. The company has a market capitalization of $85.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The firm had revenue of $24.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on UPS shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.67.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.