Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Acquires New Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 16,740 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,398,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,557 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the second quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,864 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $693,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.9% in the second quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. MSH Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. MSH Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,088 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $816,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 5,163 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $108.02 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.00 and a fifty-two week high of $136.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $91.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.11.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.43. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. The firm had revenue of $21.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 101.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.84.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.