United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Stock: Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Increases Position

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 10.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 134,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 12,316 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $12,617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 37.1% during the first quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 36,722 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,613,000 after acquiring an additional 9,941 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 37.4% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,631,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $357,231,000 after acquiring an additional 988,442 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 29.6% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 91,015 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,954,000 after acquiring an additional 20,791 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.5% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,379,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $255,763,000 after acquiring an additional 36,099 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 24.9% during the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 161,007 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $15,840,000 after purchasing an additional 32,090 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Evercore increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $117.00 to $118.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $131.00 to $127.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.45.

More United Parcel Service News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UPS reported quarterly earnings of $1.69 per share on $22.85 billion in revenue. Recent coverage points to profit growth, cost savings, and a raised outlook as drivers of the stock’s strength. UPS quarterly earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Margin expansion in U.S. domestic packages is a potential growth driver: UPS says it met its third-quarter margin target and expects sequential improvement in the fourth quarter, following its reduction of Amazon delivery volumes. Fool article on UPS growth
• Positive Sentiment: UPS declared its regular quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, payable December 3. The continued payout may appeal to income-focused investors. UPS dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: The dividend has remained at $1.64 for seven quarters, while reports flag that payouts consume a large share of free cash flow—and may have exceeded it. That raises concerns about dividend growth and coverage, even though UPS has maintained its payout. Article on UPS dividend concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Weak package volumes remain a near-term headwind that could limit the benefit of cost savings and improving margins. Article on UPS outlook and risks

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $114.29 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.84 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $99.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.68. The company has a market cap of $97.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.98, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 37.78%. The company had revenue of $22.85 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 126.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Matthew Guffey sold 8,318 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.39, for a total value of $876,634.02. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,560.69. This represents a 96.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and logistics company. Its services include the transportation and delivery of packages and freight, time-definite express delivery, supply chain management, customs brokerage, and logistics consulting. UPS serves businesses and consumers through ground, air, and international delivery networks.

The company operates across the United States and in international markets throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Canada, and other regions.