KLCM Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

KLCM Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 15,329 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,410,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. RB Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $1,162,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $515,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $701,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $153.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS traded down $1.96 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $142.89. The company had a trading volume of 4,197,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,529,379. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $149.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $197.80.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.62 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

United Parcel Service Company 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.