First Western Trust Bank Acquires 1,855 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

First Western Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 92.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,871 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.6% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 228,724 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,651,000 after buying an additional 19,971 shares during the last quarter. Gratus Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the third quarter. Gratus Capital LLC now owns 8,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,345,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,669,000. Brady Family Wealth LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 24,208 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,773,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 289.9% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 60,201 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,384,000 after acquiring an additional 44,760 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.2 %

UPS stock traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $148.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,509,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,149,974. The company has a market cap of $126.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $149.35 and its 200-day moving average is $150.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $192.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.40%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.23.

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.