Graham Capital Management L.P. Buys 279,434 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1,271.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 301,414 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 279,434 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service accounts for approximately 0.7% of Graham Capital Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $29,897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $110.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $103.68 and a 200-day moving average of $104.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $93.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on UPS. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.50.

About United Parcel Service

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.