Weatherly Asset Management L. P. Has $393,000 Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,117 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,305,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $114.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $129.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.40 and a 12-month high of $158.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.