Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Acquires 986 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 56.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,738 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 986 shares during the quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 14,410,073 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $1,255,623,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 105,818.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,215,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $732,833,000 after acquiring an additional 4,211,580 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,730,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,343,799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949,775 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $145.31 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $123.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.62 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.21 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.49%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Susquehanna restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.61.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.