Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Purchases 80,290 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 57.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 220,698 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 80,290 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $27,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after acquiring an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $461,000. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $1,305,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.2% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 131,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,304,000 after purchasing an additional 28,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 42.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 34,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 10,176 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.1 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $95.92 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $90.55 and a fifty-two week high of $153.42. The stock has a market cap of $81.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $104.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.84.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The company’s revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 95.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Baird R W lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Galvan Research reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $120.87.

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.