J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Grows Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 424,648 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $53,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. Galvan Research lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.74.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS traded up $0.59 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $96.84. The stock had a trading volume of 4,297,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,825,807. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.72 billion, a PE ratio of 14.33, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $109.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.19. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.77%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.