Equity Investment Corp Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Equity Investment Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 3.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 521,033 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,641 shares during the quarter. Equity Investment Corp owned 0.06% of United Parcel Service worth $71,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% in the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% in the second quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE:UPS traded up $2.66 on Monday, reaching $135.13. 4,021,303 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,168,812. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $132.63 and a 200-day moving average of $134.51.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.82%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on UPS. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Stephens cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $144.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Company 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.