4,993 Shares in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Purchased by Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS

Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 4,993 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $491,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV increased its position in United Parcel Service by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Westbourne Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. UBS Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.50.

Key Headlines Impacting United Parcel Service

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target on UPS to $133 from $130 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling upside confidence ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect UPS to have a chance to beat upcoming quarterly earnings expectations, supported by the right mix of improving per-package revenue and cost cuts.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor focus is centered on updated guidance, and any stronger-than-expected outlook could further support the shares after recent weakness.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes UPS has been moving alongside broader transportation-sector earnings expectations, with traders watching for confirmation in the Q2 report. United Parcel Service Inc. Cl B stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Recent articles also point to lower shipping volumes and pricing pressure from fuel surcharges and competition, including Amazon’s expanding delivery network, which could weigh on margins. Fuel surcharges wallop FedEx, UPS shippers as Amazon looms

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $116.32 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41. The stock has a market cap of $98.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.15%.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.