Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 1,337,058 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,933,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 70,388 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,876,000 after buying an additional 2,315 shares in the last quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. now owns 21,868 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after buying an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 2,768 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $177,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of UPS opened at $119.27 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $101.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $122.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.03.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.50%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.73.

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.