Fernwood Investment Management LLC Acquires 175 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Fernwood Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,638 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the quarter. Fernwood Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $585,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 69.0% in the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 7,786 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 443,453 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,460,000 after purchasing an additional 20,527 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 825 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Executive Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at approximately $7,689,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.0% in the third quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 50,778 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,923,000 after acquiring an additional 999 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 3.9 %

Shares of UPS stock opened at $91.79 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $78.40 billion, a PE ratio of 13.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $113.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.82. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.13 and a 1 year high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.15%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Baird R W lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.32.

United Parcel Service 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.