United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 109.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,416 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,616 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $129.77. 4,260,034 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,680,905. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $121.56 and a 12-month high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $128.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $130.93.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised United Parcel Service from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.10.

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.