J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. Invests $494,000 in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,985 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $494,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 272 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $105.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $89.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $104.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.50.

United Parcel Service 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.