IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Has $9.68 Million Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 76,740 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 944 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service makes up 1.1% of IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $9,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $110.94 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $119.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $154.29.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.91%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.91.

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.