Aberdeen Group plc Has $48.47 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 488,635 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,601 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.06% of United Parcel Service worth $48,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salzhauer Michael bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 76.5% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Avion Wealth raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 284.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 434 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 37.3% during the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 456 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $98.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $83.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.12. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $122.41. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $24.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.91 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The company’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.75 EPS. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $88.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.67.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total transaction of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.