United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of United Parcel Service worth $113,064,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Natixis purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $121,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 23.9% in the second quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,602,000 after purchasing an additional 5,069 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 12.3% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 59,567 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,853,000 after purchasing an additional 6,502 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $132.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $132.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.29. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.12 and a fifty-two week high of $163.82. The firm has a market cap of $113.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.71.

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.