Plato Investment Management Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,768 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research raised 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Argus raised 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 issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $116.79 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.40 and a twelve month high of $158.95. The company has a market capitalization of $99.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $122.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.94.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.