Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Has $100.05 Million Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,008,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 22,476 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises about 1.6% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $100,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UPS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

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

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm 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 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore cut 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 research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Company 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.