Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Makes New Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 14,818 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,869,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $397,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Baird R W downgraded United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.70.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock traded up $2.14 on Friday, hitting $96.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,738,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,826,073. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $110.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $90.55 and a one year high of $153.42. The firm has a market cap of $82.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued 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 yield of 6.81%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.04%.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.