11,896 Shares in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Acquired by Nixon Capital LLC

Nixon Capital LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 11,896 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,577,000. United Parcel Service accounts for about 0.5% of Nixon Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Pacific Sage Partners LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,583 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $452,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altus Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,022 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPS. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. StockNews.com cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $131.32.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $96.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,542,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,808,906. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $90.55 and a 1-year high of $153.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $112.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.97.

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

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.77%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.