United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Bought by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 20.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,654,004 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 619,716 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $305,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,936,339 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $161,742,000 after purchasing an additional 7,067 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,212,625 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,881,000 after buying an additional 95,454 shares during the period. Pinkerton Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 34.5% in the third quarter. Pinkerton Wealth LLC now owns 54,339 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,539,000 after acquiring an additional 13,952 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.4% during the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 19,182 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,602,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 422.3% in the 3rd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 42,440 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,545,000 after acquiring an additional 34,314 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stephens upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total transaction of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $99.87 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.00 and a fifty-two week high of $123.70. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $110.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $84.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 38.30% and a net margin of 6.28%.The business had revenue of $24.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.75 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.