Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 33,989 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.10% of United Parcel Service worth $113,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 291.7% during the second quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 168.5% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $125.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $107.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $132.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.01 and a 1 year high of $161.48.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.