Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC Has $5.72 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 41,922 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 284.8% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,914 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $147,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $135.85 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.12 and a 52 week high of $163.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $133.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.87. The company has a market cap of $115.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during 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%. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors 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 4.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Citigroup lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.