United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Acquired by MCF Advisors LLC

MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 753.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,874 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,186 shares during the quarter. MCF Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $583,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $902,446,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 507.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,244,234 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $321,796,000 after acquiring an additional 2,710,470 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $181,951,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,794,160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,432 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 94.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,300,081 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $231,388,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119,372 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $108.65 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $102.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.56. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The company has a market capitalization of $92.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna increased their price target 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. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.