Trexquant Investment LP Purchases New Shares in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 162,502 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,492,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at $1,305,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 27.2% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,304,000 after buying an additional 28,108 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Baird R W downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Citigroup cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.26.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $110.00 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $108.30 and a 1-year high of $154.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.27, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $118.12 and its 200-day moving average is $126.27.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly 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 in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company 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 5.96%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

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.