Redmond Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Redmond Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 74.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,598 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,077 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises approximately 1.0% of Redmond Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Redmond Asset Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 30.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,919,945 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $367,300,000 after purchasing an additional 685,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after purchasing an additional 613,409 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $116.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm's 50 day moving average is $123.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.33.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.64%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.