United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Bought by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 125.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,100 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 26,200 shares during the quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,939,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after buying an additional 1,320,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $147,242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.73.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded down $0.25 on Friday, hitting $116.35. 6,455,199 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,796,271. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $123.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $128.33. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $99.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 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.