United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc.

Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,392 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,936 shares during the period. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. State Street Corp grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after buying an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the third 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 acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,080,170,000 after acquiring an additional 373,202 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,448,960,000 after purchasing an additional 380,229 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE UPS traded down $0.17 on Friday, reaching $129.77. 4,260,034 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,680,905. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.56 and a 12 month high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $128.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.93. The company has a market cap of $110.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

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.