Avanza Fonder AB Takes $10 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 79,297 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,999,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,035,313,000 after buying an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,080,170,000 after purchasing an additional 373,202 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,448,960,000 after purchasing an additional 380,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $129.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $110.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $129.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $121.56 and a 52 week high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.03%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

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.