Everence Capital Management Inc. Increases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Everence Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,870 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 755 shares during the quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 100.0% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 142 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UPS. HSBC dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, December 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS traded down $1.96 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $142.89. The stock had a trading volume of 4,190,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,307,930. The company has a market cap of $121.84 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $133.68 and a fifty-two week high of $197.80.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.56%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

United Parcel Service 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.