Richardson Capital Management LLC Takes $44,000 Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 350 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Pacific Sage Partners LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the third quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

UPS opened at $116.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $99.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company’s 50 day moving average is $123.21 and its 200-day moving average is $128.36. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.64%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.