Loudon Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Loudon Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,510 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service makes up approximately 1.1% of Loudon Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Loudon Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,794,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Carson Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 8,975 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,411,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 394.2% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 130,558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $20,528,000 after acquiring an additional 104,138 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 151.6% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 43,526 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,844,000 after acquiring an additional 26,228 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $218,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. TheStreet upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $1.30 during trading on Thursday, reaching $147.22. 2,038,793 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,243,198. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.49 and a 200-day moving average of $150.76. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $192.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.43%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.