Freestone Capital Holdings LLC Boosts Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,387 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 150 shares during the quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake 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 worth $11,934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $121.59 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $121.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.78. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.40 and a 1 year high of $158.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $103.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released 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 quarter last year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share 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 dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.40%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Raymond James lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.00.

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.