Ridgewood Investments LLC Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,626 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 756 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service makes up about 0.8% of Ridgewood Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Ridgewood Investments LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $567,157,000 after purchasing an additional 393,434 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 249.8% during the second quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 34,037 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,658,000 after purchasing an additional 24,306 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 130.2% during the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 1,013 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.4% during the second quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 87,199 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,933,000 after purchasing an additional 2,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 21.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 2,851 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded down $3.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $123.29. 2,054,029 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,611,610. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $129.75 and a 200-day moving average of $131.33. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.01 and a 52-week high of $161.47.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $22.20 billion for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.29%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UPS. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate 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.