Utah Retirement Systems Has $15.24 Million Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Utah Retirement Systems raised its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 120,818 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 200 shares during the quarter. Utah Retirement Systems’ holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $15,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the fourth 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 period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,979,695,000 after buying an additional 414,710 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,373,964,000 after buying an additional 268,278 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $96.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $82.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.55 and a 52 week high of $153.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.97.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The business had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.78%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Galvan Research reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $126.41.

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.