Blue Trust Inc. Grows Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 19.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,430 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,669 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. IFS Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS stock opened at $135.46 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $115.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $121.56 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

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 transaction 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 trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group upped 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.24.

About United Parcel Service

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.