Swedbank AB Increases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Swedbank AB increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 337,300 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,619 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $28,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,557 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.9% in the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 5,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the first quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 11,421 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,256,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.4% during the first quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,185 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wright Investors Service Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 7,861 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on UPS. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 target price (down previously from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded United Parcel Service from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $100.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $85.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $136.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.94 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.39%.

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.