United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Position Increased by Birch Capital Management LLC

Birch Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 47,641 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises approximately 3.0% of Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 71.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $124.77. 2,043,022 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,386,064. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $130.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $106.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $122.01 and a one year high of $161.48.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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 5.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.30.

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.