Provence Wealth Management Group Raises Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Provence Wealth Management Group increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 19.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,013 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the period. Provence Wealth Management Group’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,456,055,000 after buying an additional 628,944 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 31.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,508,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,331,875 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,411,989 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,311,177,000 after purchasing an additional 31,533 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,433,087 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $379,245,000 after purchasing an additional 532,934 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:UPS traded down $0.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $146.43. The stock had a trading volume of 2,039,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,606,672. The stock has a market cap of $124.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.22, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average is $149.39 and its 200 day moving average is $150.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.04. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $133.68 and a fifty-two week high of $192.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.45%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on UPS. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. UBS Group raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. TheStreet raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Argus cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

About United Parcel Service

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.