First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 33.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,459 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 5,150 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares during the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 12.3% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,853,000 after acquiring an additional 6,502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nvwm LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the first quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 2,685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $399,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $133.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.12 and a 52 week high of $163.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $131.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.72.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Baird R W upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.71.

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.