First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 37.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,631,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 988,442 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $357,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 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 buying an additional 1,218,432 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,092,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,183,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,377 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,142,759 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,692,290,000 after acquiring an additional 856,125 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,154,091 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,703,291,000 after acquiring an additional 240,253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 72.9% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,370,639,000 after acquiring an additional 5,826,824 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $116.32 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $122.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $107.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.36. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 106.15%.

United Parcel Service News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target on UPS to $133 from $130 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling upside confidence ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect UPS to have a chance to beat upcoming quarterly earnings expectations, supported by the right mix of improving per-package revenue and cost cuts.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor focus is centered on updated guidance, and any stronger-than-expected outlook could further support the shares after recent weakness.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes UPS has been moving alongside broader transportation-sector earnings expectations, with traders watching for confirmation in the Q2 report. United Parcel Service Inc. Cl B stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Recent articles also point to lower shipping volumes and pricing pressure from fuel surcharges and competition, including Amazon’s expanding delivery network, which could weigh on margins. Fuel surcharges wallop FedEx, UPS shippers as Amazon looms

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

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.