Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 4,348 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $684,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after purchasing an additional 14,410,073 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,677,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,508,385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,331,875 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,889,570 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,456,055,000 after purchasing an additional 628,944 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 36.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,026,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $315,832,000 after purchasing an additional 541,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,433,087 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $379,245,000 after purchasing an additional 532,934 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $147.59. 2,607,558 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,897,331. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.68 and a twelve month high of $192.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $149.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.93.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.42%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto acquired 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. HSBC upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $154.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Argus cut United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.23.

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.