Capital Investment Counsel Inc Has $4.65 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Capital Investment Counsel Inc raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,845 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 301 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises about 0.7% of Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,646,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UPS. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 108,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,793,000 after purchasing an additional 30,815 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 40.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 103,515 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,113,000 after purchasing an additional 29,657 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,857 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,648 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 104,868 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,298,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,438 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $116.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.40. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The firm has a market cap of $99.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share 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 quarter last year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 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.