Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 370,705 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 7.63% of United Parcel Service worth $8,213,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Community Bank N.A. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 38,061 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Blueprint Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $275,000. Annie E. Casey Foundation Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,093,000. Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $340,000. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $292,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 5.0 %

UPS stock traded down $5.79 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $110.01. The stock had a trading volume of 9,266,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,496,863. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $157.99. The company's 50 day moving average is $119.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.92. 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 company has a market capitalization of $93.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

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United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business posted $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.96%. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UPS. UBS Group dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.91.

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.