Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC Buys 4,816 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 4,816 shares during the quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV increased its position in United Parcel Service by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 160,786 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $15,818,000 after purchasing an additional 10,210 shares during the period. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4,195.7% in the 1st quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,976 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,930 shares during the period. SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $14,596,000. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,168,600 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $213,347,000 after purchasing an additional 151,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 44.5% during the first quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 3,654 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $117.77 on Monday. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $106.68 and its 200-day moving average is $106.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.05.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 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 5.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UPS. Citigroup increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Susquehanna raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens raised United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.10.

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.