United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by Verity & Verity LLC

Verity & Verity LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 129,551 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,054 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises 1.7% of Verity & Verity LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Verity & Verity LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $17,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised 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 buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Natixis acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Financial Partners Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,602,000 after purchasing an additional 5,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% in the second quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on UPS shares. Stephens reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded down $1.93 on Tuesday, reaching $133.20. 3,834,075 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,167,326. The firm has a market cap of $113.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.12 and a 1-year high of $163.82. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $132.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

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.