United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Bought by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,203,460 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,075 shares during the quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $100,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Investment Research Partners LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,555,000. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at about $591,000. Capital Square LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 30.8% in the third quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 25,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,145,000 after buying an additional 6,044 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth about $8,475,000. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.9% in the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 11,214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $937,000 after acquiring an additional 2,443 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $96.90 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The stock has a market cap of $82.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.75 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders 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 6.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Bank of America upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore increased their target price 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, HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $113.67.

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.