Aviance Capital Partners LLC Takes $950,000 Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Aviance Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 6,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $950,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,345,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 9.1% in the third quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 65,199 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,165,000 after purchasing an additional 5,428 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 44.3% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 160,838 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,004,000 after purchasing an additional 49,356 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.8% during the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 709,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $110,527,000 after purchasing an additional 102,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ELCO Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 19.8% during the third quarter. ELCO Management Co. LLC now owns 1,623 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $135.95 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $132.90 and a 52 week high of $192.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $141.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.50.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.55.

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.