United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 4.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 829,280 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.10% of United Parcel Service worth $113,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Syntax Research Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 3,770.3% in the 3rd quarter. Syntax Research Inc. now owns 3,909 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 3,808 shares during the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 87,069 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,871,000 after buying an additional 9,250 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 24,500 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,340,000 after buying an additional 5,209 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 83,104 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,330,000 after buying an additional 11,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UPS. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock traded up $3.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $125.68. 12,702,846 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,233,275. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $122.01 and a one year high of $161.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $132.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.38. The company has a market cap of $107.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.19%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

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.