KLCM Advisors Inc. Buys Shares of 15,329 United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

KLCM Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 15,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,410,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IMA Wealth Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 100.0% during the 2nd 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. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock traded down $1.96 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $142.89. 4,197,107 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,529,379. 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 company has a market capitalization of $121.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $197.80. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $149.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.40.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The business 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.62 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business 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 4.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.61.

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.