Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Makes New Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 48,612 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,130,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $393,680,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,851,900 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $397,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,136 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the fourth 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. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $118.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $120.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 period last year, the firm posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a positive change 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 5.52%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.09.

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.