LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Increases Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 62.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,225 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,401 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% during 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 period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of UPS stock traded down $0.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $129.77. 4,260,034 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,680,905. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $128.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $121.56 and a 52-week high of $161.35.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid 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 98.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Bank of America upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.10.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.