Edgestream Partners L.P. Purchases 7,988 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 42.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,626 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 7,988 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.9 %

UPS opened at $121.59 on Friday. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.77. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95. The stock has a market cap of $103.85 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

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, 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 period last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

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.