145,000 Shares in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Bought by Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP

Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 145,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,171,000. United Parcel Service accounts for about 1.5% of Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after buying an additional 370,705 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after purchasing an additional 613,409 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,080,170,000 after purchasing an additional 373,202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,272,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277,328 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $111.05 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $118.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $154.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.91%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UPS. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.57.

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.