Meeder Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 3,650.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,500 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,380 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in 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 worth $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE UPS traded down $0.83 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $99.29. 2,863,246 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,687,586. The stock has a market cap of $84.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.53 and a 52 week high of $154.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $116.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.61%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.18.

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.