TCTC Holdings LLC Acquires 4,680 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,070 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,680 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $9,553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth $32,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 291.7% in the second quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 168.5% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PSI Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.71.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $132.44 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $132.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.29. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released 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. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.