Buffington Mohr McNeal Raises Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Buffington Mohr McNeal grew its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,198 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. MWA Asset Management acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at $2,125,000. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 387,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,908,000 after purchasing an additional 44,721 shares during the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,587,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 289.9% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 60,201 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,384,000 after purchasing an additional 44,760 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6 %

UPS traded down $0.82 on Tuesday, reaching $144.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,801,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,289,248. The stock has a market cap of $122.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.68 and a 1 year high of $197.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business’s 50 day moving average is $149.81 and its 200 day moving average is $151.49.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.62 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. HSBC dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Susquehanna restated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.