Marshall Wace LLP Boosts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,259,221 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 247,193 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $284,888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.8% in the third quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,060 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $554,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 12.2% in the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 17,236 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,337,000 after purchasing an additional 1,880 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,021,000. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 26,457 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,444 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 79.6% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,675 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,410,000 after buying an additional 7,836 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $96.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.47. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.55 and a twelve month high of $153.42.

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 the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.80%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UPS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com cut United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $131.32.

About United Parcel Service

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.