KBC Group NV Has $15.82 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

KBC Group NV grew its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 160,786 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,210 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $15,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $562,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $116.32 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.36. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $98.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. On average, 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 106.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Stephens upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Citizens Jmp began coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.50.

Key Stories Impacting United Parcel Service

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target on UPS to $133 from $130 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling upside confidence ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect UPS to have a chance to beat upcoming quarterly earnings expectations, supported by the right mix of improving per-package revenue and cost cuts.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor focus is centered on updated guidance, and any stronger-than-expected outlook could further support the shares after recent weakness.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes UPS has been moving alongside broader transportation-sector earnings expectations, with traders watching for confirmation in the Q2 report. United Parcel Service Inc. Cl B stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Recent articles also point to lower shipping volumes and pricing pressure from fuel surcharges and competition, including Amazon’s expanding delivery network, which could weigh on margins. Fuel surcharges wallop FedEx, UPS shippers as Amazon looms

About United Parcel Service

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.