Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 234,286 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,279 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $23,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Westbourne Investments Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 27,505 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,728,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $371,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 3.3%

UPS opened at $95.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.70. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The company has a market capitalization of $81.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.9%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UPS. Citigroup increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.87.

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.