Kercheville Advisors LLC Acquires 1,100 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Kercheville Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 69.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,687 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Inscription Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth approximately $150,000. Grimes & Company Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 150,842 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,591,000 after purchasing an additional 22,409 shares during the period. Signature Wealth Management Group raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 27,986 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,078,000 after buying an additional 1,789 shares during the last quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 99,005 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,890,000 after buying an additional 12,332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 100,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,059,000 after buying an additional 2,850 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.1%

United Parcel Service stock opened at $101.07 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.55 and a 1 year high of $148.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $97.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $85.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.49%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on UPS. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $120.26.

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.